Anastasia FF7 style
by serindarkwolf19
Summary: Red is an orphan who goes out on his own to find out his true identity and his real past.He runs into two people who believe he could be Rufus Shinra, the heir of a powerful company. They try to help him remember his past. Completed
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Final Fantasy VII characters or the Anastasia story line.

Hey, everyone! Here's another FF style story! This time it's Anastasia style. It should be kind of interesting. This will be a Rufus/Tifa, again. I'm planning on doing more but I'm goign to concentrate on this one first. It's gets so frustrating when your working on so many projects at the same time. Anyway, you know the story of Anastasia but there are going to be a few twists here and there.

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Prologue

a page of Rupert's Diary

_Once we live an enchanted world. A world of the rich, powerful and beautiful mansions that are more elegant than anything else. We lived in a world where only the rich were important and would always be. There were always grand parties held in the richest families' homes. It was more like a competition between the rich folks. People were always trying to show how they were and show off all the jewels they wore. It was a beautiful and magical time I suppose you could say. But…..that would soon be gone…..forever. _

Rupert Feine  
brother to Danielle Shinra uncle to Rufus 

It was during the Christmas season when it all started in the town of Nibelheim, at the Shinra Mansion. It was the most power company's birthday, including the son of the big boss. ShinRa Inc. would be celebrating it's 25th birthday. And how proud the notorious Augustice Shinra was. He didn't even say anything about his own son's birthday. He was too involved with the other gentlemen who owned rivaling businesses.

However, only Mrs. Shinra and the brother of Augustice Shinra, Rupert, remembered. But of course, even the servants knew about the young Rufus' 10 birthday. They would wish him happy birthday when they saw him.

Rufus Shinra was watching from the balcony, trying to keep from being seen. He was such a handsome young man for his age. His short strawberry blonde hair hung over his crystal blue eyes. He wore his brand new white uniform. A black shirt under it. A young panther right next to him purring was she watched with him.

The party below was full of such beautiful and elegant women of all ages. Yes, even the old folks were beautiful, so Rufus thought. He could see so many people. There was his father greeting more people. It made Rufus feel a little jealous of his father getting all the attention. His eyes scanned over the crowds hoping to see his mother. There she was, sitting with other elegant women.

Rufus thought his mother was the most beautiful woman. She had such fine strawberry blonde hair and the most gorgeous ocean blue eyes. She was wearing a wine red dress that showed her complexion very well. Long gloves on her hands, running up to her elbows. A diamond broach sitting on her bosoms. Rufus loved to look at his mother. He just did. She was the most kind person too. She cared about everyone. She was the exact opposite from Mr. Shinra. The president of the company, was not so kind. He was plump, wore his orange red uniform and always had a cigar in his hand.

Rufus' eyes tore from his mother when he saw the doors open and in walk the one person he had been waiting to see. His uncle, Rupert Feine. Rufus smiled a big smile seeing him. The man was very handsome and almost looked like his sister, Danielle, Rufus' mother. He had red hair and green eyes. He wore a black outfit with a white flower in the left breast pocket. His red hair was always messy but he still looked like a gentleman.

And there was his bodyguard, Vincent Valentine. Rufus liked Vincent. He remembered Vincent very well. Vincent, in public was all formal, stony like. He acted like he didn't have a life. But around Rufus, he was always smiling. It had to be the bodyguard job. Rufus respected Vincent. Vincent was like a best friend to Rufus. Actually, he was his only friend.

Rupert and Vincent found their way towards Danielle who smiled at them. She stood and gave her brother a hug. "Rupert, I'm glad you could make it. How are you? Was your journey long?" She asked. Rupert gave his sister a kiss on the cheek and then shook his head. "No, Dani. It wasn't that long. Thanks to Vincent. He kept me occupied." He said beaming at his bodyguard.

Danielle turned her eyes onto Vincent who smiled at her. She offered her hand to him, which he took as he bowed and then kissed the back of it. "Hello, Mr. Valentine. How are you?" She asked sweetly. Vincent's blue eyes met her's. "I am well, Mrs. Shinra." He said softly. Danielle smiled at him and shook her head. "Vincent, what did I tell you? Call me Danielle. You are my brother's best friend and have been since we were little." She said. Vincent stepped back. "Forgive me." He said. Danielle just smiled sweetly and looked at her brother, who was looking around. "Where's the little squirt?" He asked. His sister laughed softly. Her eyes turned towards the balcony. "He's been waiting for you." She said. Rupert grinned. He looked at Vincent. "Vincent, would you please?" He asked. Vincent nodded and pushed through the crowds.

Rufus was running his hand on his panther's back. He was watching the people again without realizing Vincent had stepped up behind him. "Man, someday, Dark Nation. I'm going to be one of them." He said softly. The panther purred. He felt someone put their hand on his shoulder making him jump. "Then why not come downstairs?" The deep but full of kindness voice asked. Rufus spun around with a smile on his face. "Vincent!" He said happily. He stood and hugged the bodyguard. Vincent smiled as he hugged the boy. "I heard it was your birthday. Happy Birthday." He said softly. Rufus pulled away and grinned.

"Yeah, I'm ten today!" He frowned looking back down at the party. "But……father's doing it again. He hasn't said anything about my birthday." He said. Vincent smiled shaking his head. "Come on down. Your uncle wishes to see you." He said. Rufus nodded as he followed the body guard. The panther followed.

Rufus looked at some people as he followed Vincent. A wave of nervousness rolled over him. He couldn't help but step closer to the tall man and practically hiding behind him. Vincent looked down at him and smiled as he put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting way. There was nice music playing for some of the guests to dance. Rufus saw his uncle dancing with his mother with a smile on his face.

When Vincent and Rufus stepped up, Rupert grinned and pulled away from his sister. "Rufus!" He said merrily. Rufus grinned and hurried forward throwing himself at his uncle. They embraced tightly before looking at Danielle and Vincent. "Vincent, entertain my lovely sister with a dance while I speak to my nephew." Rupert said. Vincent blushed a little as he looked at Danielle. Danielle grabbed his arm and they began dancing while Rufus and his uncle went to the side to talk.

They sat down and watched most of the people start swinging into a waltz. Rufus watched with wonderment. "Wow! They're all so good." He said softly. Rupert grinned. "Don't worry, my good little nephew. You'll be one of them someday. One day, your father will give you the key to the company and then you can throw as many parties as you want." He said. Rufus lowered his head a little. "Uncle, to tell you the truth, I don't want to be like my father. He never pays any attention to me and he's always worried about money. If I was going to take control of the company, I would change a lot of things around." He said.

Rupert smiled. "Change is good, Rufus. As long as it is good for the people. Not just the rich folk but the poor too." He said. Rufus looked at him. "The commoners? Those riffraff?" He asked. Rupert gave Rufus a small look. "Rufus, who taught you to say such things?" He asked. Rufus shrugged. "I've heard father call them that." He said. Rupert shook his head. "Well, don't call them that. It is rude. They are people, just like you." He said. Rufus nodded.

Hiding behind a curtain was a young girl about 9 years old. She had long dark brown hair and cherry red eyes. She was one of the servant girls in the mansion. Although she wasn't known very well. She wore a black dress like the servants were suppose to. She was watching the dancers with awe. She loved to watch the people like that.

Her eyes wandered over to where the boss's son was. She couldn't help but stare at him. She found him interesting. She looked away for a second to watch the dancers before turning her eyes back to the older boy and nearly jumped when she saw him looking in her direction. She quickly dove back into the curtains hoping he hadn't seen her. Too late.

Rufus narrowed his eyes a little when he saw the servant girl. He hadn't ever seen her before. Where had she come from. He turned his face towards the dance floor but continued to watch the girl. She had poked her head back out of the curtains and eyed the trays of food, hungrily. She even licked her lips as if trying to taste the flavor. Rufus smiled a little and looked at his uncle. "Just a second, Uncle Rupert." He said standing. Rupert looked at him and watched Rufus walk over to the food tables.

The boy pretended to be eyeing something to eat but grabbed an apple. He glanced around before pointing at the girl, whose eyes widen with nervousness. Rufus tossed her the apple before grabbing another and taking a bite of it for himself. The girl caught the apple and then smiled at Rufus thankfully. Rufus nodded and went back to his uncle's side, who grinned and nudged his nephew.

However, a hand grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her roughly out of the curtains towards the hall, where the kitchens lied. "You're a servant! Never forget your place, Tifa!" The head maid, Scarlett snapped. Tifa pulled away and glared at the woman. "Someday my place will be out there!" She said pointing at the dance floor. Scarlett snorted. "Never! You're a commoner, Lockhart. Back into the kitchen!" She snapped shoving the 9 year old forward into the kitchen.

Meanwhile in the ballroom, the Shinra Family were still chattering with the guests, unbeknownst that their son had given a servant an apple, which would have been scowled by President Shinra. He believed that commoners were nothing when his wife did not. She would have just smiled at Rufus and gave him nod of approval.

Rufus felt his uncle tap his shoulder. He turned his face towards him. Rupert smiled at him. "Rufus, being your birthday, I have something for you." He said pulling something out of his pocket. Rufus smiled excitedly. He loved getting things from his uncle, no matter what they were. Rupert pulled out a long chain and a small metal box.

"I know how you are about music, and even though your father thinks these are girlish, I know you like them." He said handing Rufus the small box and the necklace. It was a small key on the chain. And it went to the box. Rufus took the key and unlock the box then opened it. It was a music box and it played a soft tune. "It's mother's lullaby. She sings this to me all the time before I go to bed." Rufus said with a smile. Rupert smiled. "Yes. And our mother used to sing it to us. I want you to have it. Read the inscription." He said pointing it out.

Rufus looked closer and onto the key, squinting his eyes. "Together in Midgar." He read. He looked up at his uncle. "Are you and father going back to Midgar?" He asked. Rupert nodded softly. "Yes. Duty calls. And I have promised him that I would help out in the business, you know that." He said. Rufus sighed. "I wish you could stay here with me and mother." He said. Rupert smiled and hugged his nephew.

"Don't worry, Rufus. Some time, I will be working for you in Shinra Inc. And until then, listen to the music of the box and pretend it's me singing it to you." He said softly. Rufus nodded hugging him back. Rupert took the necklace and placed it around his neck. They hugged again with bright smiles.

Suddenly the lights began to flicker and people looked around bewildered and frightened. The lights flickered violently and a strong wind picked up all around the dance floor sending people flying backwards. Rufus' eyes were wider with shock. He was scared of what was going on. His panther, Dark Nation began to snarl towards the middle of the floor, standing very close to Rufus as if trying to protect him.

Suddenly a man appeared right there. He was very tall and powerful looking. He wore black leather and had long silver hair. His eerie green eyes glowed with energy. People gasped or cried out with fear. The man just stood there looking around.

When suddenly black smoke began to pour out of no where and formed a shorter man. This one had black hair and wore a white lab coat. His hands folded behind his back. He wore thin rimmed glasses on the tip of his nose. And around his neck was a black orb on a thick leather cord. His eyes were dark and evil looking.

To the side, Augustice Shinra growled as he stormed forward. Anger, fear and resentment in his eyes. "Hojo! Your still alive!" He said it more in a question. Hojo sneered at the President. "Yes, even after being shot, poisoned and not to mention stabbed by your pathetic Turks, who I believe my son, Sephiroth killed them all." He said looking at the silver haired man.

Shinra narrowed his beady eyes at Hojo and his son. "You are not welcomed here! Get out!" He snapped. Hojo narrowed his eyes dangerously. "After all I've done for your family, all the scientific experiments, the technology I have given you, you tried to kill me!" He roared right back at Shinra. Smoke surrounded him and seemed to grow larger and angrier looking. No, more evil looking. The guests backed away with terror.

Rufus was shaking violently with his own fear. He knew Hojo by stories. It was said that Hojo used children for his experiments too. Hearing such stories just scared the hell out of the poor boy. He felt Rupert's arm go around him protectively.

There was a strange eerie moaning noise coming from the black orb around Hojo's neck. It was glowing with an evil power that everyone could feel. "The Shinra Family ends here! You, your wife and son will die within the fornight! It will be the end of the Shinra Family!" Hojo yelled pointing at President Shinra. There were several gasps and frightful cries throughout the room.

Rufus felt panic rise up and he didn't know what he was doing next. All he knew was he broke loose from Rupert who cried out his name and ran to stand in front of his father. "No! We are not afraid of you! Leave my father and mother alone you cruel monster!" He yelled. Sephiroth just narrowed his eyes at the boy while Hojo laughed cruelly. "You, my little pet, you will be so much fun to kill. I think I might pull a few experiments on you first before actually killing you!" Hojo sneered at the boy, who shivered a little.

Rufus felt someone grab him and pulled him backwards. He looked up to see Vincent, holding onto Rufus' shoulder. The tall man pushed him behind him with a serious look on his face. Hojo just laughed evilly. "This is the end of the Shinra line, forever!" Hojo yelled and black smoke exploded around him and Sephiroth and they vanished. Rufus was shaking with fear in his eyes. He was clutching to Vincent's arm tightly. The tall man looked down at him with sympathy. Rupert hurried forward and gathered his nephew up in his arms.

_Some had said that Hojo had used his experiments on himself giving him and his son, Sephiroth, great power. I don't know very much about Sephiroth. But I do know about Hojo. They say Hojo uses his great power for dark reasons. And it his great power that brought the end to my family._

That night, when everyone had gone to sleep, an angry mob had began to approach the house. Some were the people of the town. Some were from other towns. But all had torchs, weapons, and looks of rage and hatred on their faces. Some were firing their guns into the air.

Rufus jumped in his bed as his eyes shot open. He heard the gunshots coming from outside. He quickly threw the covers off his person and rushed over to the window looking out. His eyes went wide as he saw the crowd breaking through the gates of the mansion.

The Shinra family were all gathered in the hall listening to the mobs outside. They all were in their nightcloths still. Vincent hurried up. "They're breaking in through the doors! We have got to get you out of here now and to the train station!" He exclaimed. Augustice nodded. "We must leave immediately!" He said grabbing his wife's arm. They hurried down the hallway. Rupert and Rufus were side by side. That was before, the young blonde pulled away. "Wait! My music box!" He cried out. He turned and hurried back the way he came from.

"Rufus! No!" Rupert cried out and hurried after him. Vincent spun around with a shocked look. So did Augustice and Danielle. Rupert turned his head. "Just go! Rufus and I will catch up! Go!" He yelled.Vincent nodded and hurried after Augustice and Danielle.

Rufus and Rupert hurried back into the room. The young 10 year old ran over to his bedside table and grabbed the music box. Rupert grabbed his nephew's wrist and pulled him towards the door when they heard gun shot and saw some of the mobs running up the stairs. The older red head slammed the door shut and looked around for an exit. "Oh no." He said weakly. Rufus shivered with fear.

Just then a hidden door opened and the face a pretty girl stepped out. It was the girl from earlier. Rufus recognized her. "You!" He cried out. The girl nodded. "Tifa." She said quickly. She beckoned them towards her. "Hurry! This way! There's room for two! But the mobs aren't going to kill me! They're after you two. This door will lead out to the servent quarters. There is a door that will lead you out to the back door. My papa will be waiting for you. He'll take you right to the train station." She said. Rupert smiled thankfully at her. "Thank you so much!" He said. THere was a bang against the door.

Tifa grabbed their arms and pushed them towards the secret door. "GO!" She cried out. Doing so knocked the music box right out of Rufus' hand. Rupert dragged his nephew into the door. "Wait! My box!" He cried out but his uncle pulled him in and Tifa slammed the door shut. The other door burst open and in came the mob. Tifa spun around. She grabbed a vase and threw it at their heads. It hit one person and sent him flying against the wall. Another rose a hand and backhanded her so hard sending her flying to the ground unconscious. Right on the music box.

Rufus and Rupert were running as fast as they could in the snow towards the train station. The father of that one girl had to try and keep a mob away. He fought back as hard as he could but they killed him just like that. Both Rufus and Rupert were racing after the departing train. "Wait! Wait for us! Don't leave us!" Rupert yelled practically dragging his nephew. Rupert held out his hand trying to catch one of the other outstretched hands. He almost tripped but a pale spider like hand wrapped around his wrist and he looked up to see the face of Vincent, who had a little bit of blood running down his face.

Vincent pulled Rupert up and reached for Rufus who was still running as fast as he could to keep up with his uncle. But suddenly he slipped and his hand was ripped out from Rupert's. Rupert and Vincent gasped as they watched Rufus hit the tracks hard. "Rufus!" Rupert tried to jump off but Vincent held him tight. Rufus didn't get up. It was either he had died from the fall or he was unconscious. "Rufus! No!" Rupert yelled with tears in his eyes. But the train sped up and they were out of sight. The boy was swallowed up by the mob or so it seemed.

_I never saw my nephew again. Sometimes I wondered if he was_

_alive or if he was dead. But then again, he must have been _

_dead. Because my sister and brother in law were dead. _

_Vincent couldn't save them. They had caught up to them,_

_beaten Vincent terribly and killed them. The Shinra Family _

_cease to exist. Only I could control the company now. _

_I was to live my live life in Midgar taking care of the _

_company. Vincent as my body guard still. Still wondering,_

_was Rufus Shinra still alive?_

A/N: Okay before you say something about Rufus getting a music box, I have something to say about that. I know plenty of guys who has a music box. Music boxes are not just for girls. So don't think it's girlish or anything because it isn't really. Anyway, I am currently working on chapter 1 and will have it up asap. Until then, review.  



	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey, everyone who is reading this. I hope you'll enjoy this story just like the others. I can promise you it'll be interesting. And like I promised a few people, Cid Highwind is in this story. In fact, he's sort of a main character. The other members of AVALANCHE might have small parts in this story here and there. You'll get to see them once in awhile. Anyway, let's go on.

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Chapter 1.

11 years later

It was a cold winter day in the small town of Gongonga. There was snow every where. Mounds of deep snow against a few of the buildings. Just outside of town, near the river, was a gray and ugly building with a sign outside the large stone and iron gates. It read "Major Heidigger's orphanage for Boys".

There were boys of all ages inside. They all wore gray uniforms that made them look more like they were in boot camp. All wore faded black shoes that some had holes at the toes. They were all cleaning their dormitories, the halls, just the whole house. Every single one of the boys looked underfed. It was like they hadn't ate for three days. Some looked like they hadn't slept for two. In the largest room, the living room, there was a large man sitting in front of a warm fire eating and reading a boot with his feet propped up. He would be the Major Heidigger.

In the kitchen there was a 21 year old young man scrubbing the floor on his hands and knees. He was very handsome and wore hand me down cloths just like the children. His face was a little boyish and his hair was strawberry blonde. His eyes a pure sapphire blue. He was just a knock out for the ladies. In the orphanage he was call Red because of the color of his hair.

Unlike the children, he looked a little happy and was humming a merry little tune. It was like he knew something that no one else did. His eyes concentrating hard on his work but his ears were listening for that little sound that he knew would make the Major mad and the children laugh. He thought they needed a little more fun aways. He knew he was old enough to just leave the orphanage, away from Major and free from being told what to do but he wouldn't leave because he cared about the children. If he left, who would be the one to make the children laugh. He was the oldest orphan there. Not that he cared. He knew he had someone out there. It was because of a small necklace around his neck.

Red was just finishing up scrubbing a large stain on the floor when he heard the merry sounds of an explosion. A big grin curled around his lips and there was the yelling of the Major. Red turned a little to look down the hall and saw smoke curling out of the room. There were several laughs from the boys out in the hall. The more yelling of the Major. Red laughed himself and shook his head. He glanced over to the 15 year old girl who was pretending to be a boy. Her hair was black and cut very short. She wore very baggy cloths to hide her growing curves. She wore a ragged and dirty yellow scarf around her neck. She always had a dirty face.

Red and the boys knew that she was a girl but they never said a word to the Major. She had came to the orphanage a few years before. Red was practically her best frined. They thought of each other as brother and sister. Her name was Yuffie but around the Major they called her Kid since she really didn't give him a name. She told Red that she had ran away from home along time ago because of her father. They didn't really see eye to eye and he was trying to marry her off at an early age. So she took off and found her way to the orphanage. It was the only place she could go to.

"I see that stink bomb we made finally went off, Kid." Red said. Yuffie giggled and nodded. "Yeah." She said trying to sound like a boy. Which she did a pretty good job. But then there was that stomping of large feet coming towards the kitchen. And soon the Major was standing there and he had his large leather belt in his hands. His beady eyes went straight to Yuffie, who froze with wide eyes. "Kid! You little brat! Your going to be paying for that stench!" He roared stomping towards her. Red sat up straighter looking at the now terrified Yuffie.

Yuffie tried to back away but the counter was right there. The Major moved very quickly for a fat man. He rose the belt to hit her with it. Red quickly grabbed the scrubbing brush and pushed it across the floor where the Major stepped on it and went crashing to the floor. Yuffie quickly jumped over the Major and hurried over to Red who stood and pulled her closer to protect her. Major Heidigger quickly got up and looked murderously at Red.

"Red! You stay out of this! That little bastard is going to pay for making a stink and setting it off right under my chair!" He snarled. Red narrowed his eyes dangerously. "It was Kid, Major! It was me! It was my idea!" He snapped back. The major growled and started forward swinging his belt. "Then you both will get the belt!" He snarled. Red was just going to stand his ground but Yuffie grabbed his arm and pulled him after her. They quickly ran out of the kitchen into the hall. Heidigger hot on their trail.

A young boy quickly got in the way giving Heidigger a dirty look. "Leave her alone!" He barked. The Major's lips curled into a sneer. "Her, huh?" He asked coldly. Every boy winced or cringed. The boy covered his mouth realizing what he had just done. "So there's been a girl in this house the whole time and no one has told me!" The Major growled. Yuffie buried her head in Red's back when they stopped running looking very afraid. Heidigger sneered. "Well, we'll have to fix that! I bet I can sell that little brat to Corneo for a lot of money." He said with a vicious grin.

Red narrowed his eyes again even more dangerously. He bared his teeth. "You will not touch Kid!" He snapped. Heidigger pointed to the door. "You get out of my house! Take that little brat with you!" He exclaimed. Red and Yuffie backed towards the door giving him a dirty look. "Fine! We will leave! It's not like we wanted to be here anyways!" Red yelled back. They quickly flung the door open and ran out. Heidigger ran after throwing a vase. Red quickly wrapped his arms around the 15 year old and let the vase smash against his back. He only winced but they kept running, slipping right through the gates.

After awhile Red and Yuffie stopped running to catch their breath. They were close to the river now. Both doubled over with their hands on their knees. Yuffie leaned against Red for support. "Great...gasp...what now? Where are we going to go?" She asked. Red stood up straight and went over to a log to sit down. Yuffie followed him. "I don't know. I think I might go Midgar." he said. Yuffie looked at him. "Huh? Midgar? Why all the way there? That's sure a long way." She said. Red undid his own scarf a little and pulled out a chain. "I think I have family there. Or at least friends." He said showing her the necklace he wore.

Yuffie leaned forward to see it. On the small key it said Together in Midgar.She looked up at him. "So you have family after all." She said. Red shrugged. "I don't know. I can't remember. I told you before. When I was ten I was found wandering around with no family or no memory of who I was. They caught me trying to steal food and sent me to that orphanage. I'm really sure that there's someone in Midgar for me. So there's only one way of finding out." He said. Yuffie nodded with a sigh.

"Well, I wish you luck. I guess this means we're going our seperate ways." She said starting to walk away. Red quickly grabbed the back of her pants and pulled her back. "Hey, hey, hey. Where do you think your going?" He asked. Yuffie turned to look at him. "Well...you don't want me to intrude, right? I mean, I have no place with whoever your looking for. So I guess I'm just going to go off on my own." She said. Red smirked. "Hey! There is too a place for you. Your like a sister to me. And if your a sister, then that means your apart of my family. Besides, someone's gotta make sure you stay out of trouble." He said. Yuffie smiled brightly. "You mean you want me to go with you?" She asked with excitement.

Red grinned. "Of course I do! Come on! What do you say? Let's have an adventure together?" He asked. Yuffie grinned and nodded. "All right! Let's go on to Midgar!" She said merrily pointing down the path. Red blinked and looked around. "Uh...where is Midgar, anyway?" He asked. Yuffie blinked then sweatdropped. "I have no idea." She turned to him. "We could go to Nibelheim. They have, like, the best travel agency around here. Maybe we'll find something." She said with a shrug. Red stood and nodded. "Yeah. Let's go." He said. Yuffie smiled brightly and began skipping down the path with Red laughing after her.

After two days of travelling together, stopping in a small village in the Cosmos Canyon to rest and being stuffed with food by the kind people there, and travelling over a large river, Red and Yuffie were almost there to the town. It wasn't a big town but it wasn't small either. There were a lot of houses, some just a little run down. A large water tower in the middle of the town square. There were a lot of people in Nibelheim. And a lot of soldiers.

Both Red and Yuffie looked at each other with confusion and walked on."Man, look at this place. What's with all the people?" Yuffie asked. Red shook his head. "Your guess is as good as mine." He said. He stepped up to a man. "Excuse me?" He asked. The large man spun around giving him the most dirty look. "What!" He growled. Red stepped back surprised. "Uh...never mind." He muttered walking away with Yuffie. "Man, that dude was so Rude." She said hurrying after him. Red looked around blowing a sigh. "I hope we'll find someone nicer." He said. They stepped up to a long line to a outdoor shop.

"Uh...could someone tell me..." Red was asking. Every eye from each person all turned to him with a nasty look. "End of the line, boy!" A man snarled. Red stepped back wincing. "I just..." He was saying. A soldier stepped up looking darkly at him. "Are you causing trouble, boy?" he asked coldly. Red stepped back looking uneasy. "Uh, no. S-sorry." He said. The soldier growled. "You better not cause trouble or I'm going to put a few bullets in your weak little head." He said harshly patting the gun at his side.

Yuffie grabbed Red's arm and pulled him with her. "Uh...come on, Red. Let's just go." She said weakly. They hurried away. "Whoa! This is a hard town." Red said wiping his brow from the nervous sweatbeads. Yuffie shook her head as they went to sit down. "Man, this town kinda creeps me out. We should just find some a travelling agency and get the hell out of here." She said. Red gave her a look and pointed a finger at her. "What did I tell you about your language?" He asked. Yuffie rolled her eyes and grabbed his finger twisting it. "Don't swear. Just stop pointing. It's rude to point." She said. Red winced from the slight pain in his hand and then rubbed his knuckles.

Red and Yuffie walked on hoping to find a nicer person. They decided to try again with another person. Yuffie was going to do it this time. "Excuse me?" She asked a little girl. The girl turned around looking innocently at her. Yuffie smiled. "Hey, can you tell me who is nice in this blasted town?" She asked sweetly. Before the girl could answer, someone picked her up. Yuffie slowly looked up to see a very tough looking black man who was glaring at her.

"Yo, what are ya doing my kid?" He growled. Red quickly stepped forward to defend his friend. "Look, we just want to find a travel agency to get travelling papers to get to Midgar. But every single person in this town has been down right mean to us. We were just asking her if there was anyone nice." He said wearily. The black man stared at them for a second before shaking his head. "There ain't no travelling agency anymo'. The damn soldiers burned it down last spring. They don' think anyone should leave Nibelheim. That's why there's so many people in town." he said. Red lowered his head with a sigh. "Great. Now we're stuck here. I'm never going to find the people who cared for me." He said gloomily.

The black name looked around before leaning forward. "Hey, go to the Shinra Mansion on the other side of town. Ask for Cid or Tifa. They'll be able to help you. You didn't hear it from me. But if they really want to know who told you, you tell them that it was their pal Barret." He whispered. Red and Yuffie smiled with relief. "Thanks." Red whispered back. Barret nodded before turning away and carrying his daughter off.

Red and Yuffie went walking towards the end of town. They were looking everywhere for this Shinra Mansion. There were so many buildings that they couldn't tell which one was the mansion. "Excuse me? Do you know where I can find a Cid?" Red asked an old woman. The woman lightly gasped before looking around. She waved her hand. "No! I don't! There is no Cid here!" She snapped. Red sighed slouching a little. "Well, what about Tifa?" Yuffie asked. The woman looked angry. "There is no Tifa either!" She snarled. Both Red and Yuffie gave the woman a dirty look and walked away. They were just walking past an alley when they heard a "Psst!"

Both young peoples turned to see the old woman again. Red and Yuffie narrowed their eyes but blinked when the woman beckoned for them to step closer. They cautious did so. The woman looked around before using a hand to cup her mouth. "Go to the end of town. Both Tifa and Cid are there taking applications right now and they should be a little busy. But they might squeeze you in." She whispered. She looked around again. "But you didn't hear that from Elmyra." She then ducked into the alley.

Red and Yuffie gave each other a look. "What the hell?" He asked. Yuffie waggled a finger at him. "Naughty, naughty, Red. Watch your language." She teased. Red gave her a dirty look before cupping a handful of snow and chucking at her. Yuffie squealed as she ducked and they had a small snowball fight. After awhile they went on.

A/N: The next chapter will the first meeting of Red, Yuffie, Tifa and Cid. They'll finally get to meet and begin their travels.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for your reviews. Here's the chapter where they'll get to meet and yes Cid swears alot in this chapter. Like always. It should be a little amusing.

Chapter 2.

Inside the largest buidling of the town, there were several people in the large hall. They were using the stair case as a stage. Most of the people were men. Very few were women who looked like men. And they were all saying, "Oh, Uncle! It's me, Rufus Shinra! I've waited so long to see you!" There were two people sitting in chairs looking disgusted at some of the people. One was a gruff looking man and he was smoking a death stick. He had messy dirty blonde hair and grey eyes. He looked a little like a pilot.

And the other person was a very pretty woman. She had long dark brown hair that looked more like a river of chocolate flowing down her back. Her eyes were a wine red color. She wore black pants and a white dress shirt with a brown leather vest over it. Her face was resting in her hands as she stared at the men with wide disgusted eyes. She turned to the pilot and shook her head. "Cid, this is so ridiculous. Every single one of these idiots are just not getting it." She said. Cid shook his head. "And your &&ing telling me! This was your idea, Teef." He said standing up. He moved over to the large crowd. "Look you sacks of pig #!T! Your suppose to act all fancy! Act like your a rich and all! Try again, number one!" He pointed at black haired man.

Tifa rolled her eyes and slumped back in her chair."Oh, Uncle! It's me, Rufus Shinra! I've waited so long to see you!" The actor spoke rather loudly. Tifa looked even more disgusted. Cid saw the look and shook his head. "Next!" He hollared. They went on. Going through each actor. "Tifa! &!(#! This is not working! I can't && work these idiots!" Cid yelled as he slammed himself in the chair. Tifa rolled her eyes with a sigh. "At this rate, we'll never find the right guy to play as Rufus Shinra. How many times do I have to tell you! We need a blonde guy with grace and poise. Not some lumbering lazy louts!" She exclaimed. Cid began cursing.

The young woman of 20 looked at another young man who was eyeing her..."AHHHH!" He then cried out when she chucked her shoe at him hitting him hard in the head. "Get out! Get out all of you!" Tifa yelled getting to her feet and moving out of the room. Cid looked after her then waved his hand. "You &&ing heard the lady! Get out!" He roared. Muttering angrily every single fake 'Rufus Shinra' left.

Cid followed Tifa into the large dining room. "Listen, Teef! We're not giving up now! We'll find the right guy to play as Rufus Shinra. I know we will." He said. Tifa plopped into a large chair. "Yeah right. We've been looking for "Rufus Shinra" for two years and we haven't found a single guy that can do the job." She said wearily. Cid sat down next to her. "Now you listen here, Tifa Lockhart! I've known you for seven years. We are not giving up! You have never given up on anything in your life!" He said. Tifa looked up at him and sighed. "But..." She was saying. The pilot touched her lips with a rough finger. "Eh, just stop it. We'll find the guy. We'll find the right guy to play the part, collect that ten million Gil and they be outta there before the big boss of Shinra, Rupert Feine will ever figure out that it was a scam." He said. Tifa looked away. There was a long silence. "Well...let's go into the kitchen and eat some more ice cream." Cid said walking out. Tifa laughed and followed him.

Outside the mansion, at the gates stood Red and Yuffie staring with wide eyes with shock. They had never seen such a huge house like this before. They had spent a while asking some people where the Shinra Mansion was and every time they would get barked at then the people would whisper the directions. When they did, they would say, you didn't hear it from me.

Now they had found it and were in a deep shock of how big the building was. There must have been a lot of rooms in that house. It at least had four levels and a large court yard. There were several trees in the yard. The building was quite old and run down. But it still stood. It looked like a battle had taken place here. Red stared up at the building. A look on his face. For some reason this place looked familiar. Yuffie looked at him. "Red? What's wrong?" She asked. Red shook his head shutting out the images in his head. "Nothing. Let's take a look." He said climbing over the ruined gate. Red and Yuffie walked up to the boarded up door way. They had to pull some of the boards by their hands so they could get in.

Inside the kitchen, Tifa and Cid were eating. The young girl looking out the window with a sad look on her face. "Teef? What's wrong?" Cid asked. Tifa shook her head. "Nothing." She said looking back at her icecream. Cid tilted his head. "Say, even if we do find the guy, what makes you think that Rupert Feine will even believe us or see us?" He asked. Tifa looked up at him. She smiled faintly. "I have something that belong to his nephew along time ago." She said digging into her pocket. "Oh yeah? What's that?" Cid asked. Tifa held out her hand. Lying on the palm was the small music box that used to belong to Rufus Shinra. It still looked like it had ten years ago. "Don't worry. Once he sees this, he'll see us." She said softly.Cid nodded slowly.

Red and Yuffie had finally got in. It was warmer inside than it was out. There was dust every where. But foot prints disturbed the light layers of dust, meaning that someone had been here. There were several chairs set up. But otherwise, it looked the same. Red and Yuffie looked around with wonderment. They slowly walked into the halls looking around. Red found himself in the large ball room. "Wow! Look at this place." Yuffie said. But Red didn't say anything. He just looked around with confusion on his face. There was something familiar about this place that he couldn't figure out.

The two intruders were unaware that there was someone else in that room. He was sitting in the dark on a railing. He had been watching those pathedic fools trying to find a Rufus Shinra so they could collect the reward money. But he knew that Rufus Shinra was dead along with his family. The man in the dark did spot the two new comers. He watched them with interest. His eerie green eyes glowed in the dark as he leaned forward. His pale face reflected the small light that was shining in through the window. His silver white hair fell over his shoulder. It was the son of Hojo, Sephiroth. His eyes on the two looking around.

Yuffie stepped up to a dusty table with several silverware and goblets just lying there. She blew dust off a plate. "Wow. How much do you think this stuff is worth?" She asked picking up a golden plate. Red crinkled his nose and gave her a look. "Yuffie, put it down!" he said sharply. His voice echoed in the room out into the hall.

In the kitchen, Tifa swore she heard something. She sat up straighter. She looked towards the door. "What was that?" She asked. Cid looked up. "What?" He asked. Tifa shook her head. "Never mind. I thought I heard someone." She said. Cid rolled his eyes. "It's this creepy ass house getting to you, Tifa. Why the hell do we stay here at night anyway? It's like this &&# house is haunted." He said. Tifa rolled her eyes and continued to eat.

Red and Yuffie continued to look around the ball room. Yuffie was still checking out the silverware and goldware. Red's eyes caught sight of a large black grand piano near the other end of the wall. He stared at it when an image flashed in his mind. He shook his head violently as a small headache built up. Then his eyes widen as he looked back at the piano. He quietly walked over and looked at the instrument. Yuffie turned and saw where he was. She hurried over.

"Oooh. Look at this. It's really pretty." She said. Red stared hard at it. Something going in his mind. Yuffie looked up at him. "Red? What is it?" She asked. Red shook his head. "I don't know. I'm seeing images in my head I don't remember." He sat down on the bench.

Another flash in his mind. He saw a woman sitting at the piano playing it. Playing a beautiful tune. It was like he could hear it in his ears. The woman, herself had a young boy of eight sitting next to her. He looked almost like Red. He wore a white outfit and a smile on his face. He was playing with her. "Red, do you know how to play the piano?" He heard Yuffie. Red looked up and shrugged. "I...I think so." He lifted his hands and softly placed them on the keys.

As if just like that he began to play a song that was in the back of his head. The tune he always hummed. The piano music lifted into the air. But continued when Red stopped. His eyes opened sharply. It was like a haunting dream coming true. Red stood and looked around the ballroom with wide eyes. He was seeing something that Yuffie couldn't really. "Yuffie, I know this place." He said softly.

He stepped forward and walked to the middle of the room. He slowly turned looking every where. In his mind he was seeing people all around him. There was a grand party going on. The lights were on brightly. Music was playing all around the room. People were waltzing on the dance floor or chatting with each other. They all looked like ghosts. Red blinked and then saw himself wearing a white outfit. A black turtleneck shirt under a pure white jacket and pants. It was breathtaking. Red smiled softly as he looked around the 'party'. The band was playing his lullabye.

"I know this place." He spoke softly. Yuffie stared at him as he looked around at the images she couldn't see. She was in awe. Because he was now waltzing with an invisble person. But in his mind he was dancing with a lovely girl. "I remember seeing so many faces around me. They were all smiling." He spoke as he danced. He danced with another. "There was a song in the air. My mother's song. She always held me at night and lulled me asleep with it." Red spoke.

He stopped dancing with an invisible girl when in his mind he saw a man and woman smiling at him. He knew the woman. She was his mother. She was arm in arm with a man he knew wasn't his father. Red smiled at his mother and bowed to her while she curtsied. They began a waltz together. So many ghosts around them waltzing just like them. Every single one was happy to see him. It was like they knew him. Red was unaware of the people watching him. Two new arrivals had heard the piano music and came to see what was going on. Tifa and Cid saw a stranger dancing with himself and they gave each other a skeptical look. Yuffie was too much enthralled to see them.

Red twirled his mother out then brought her back in. He stopped to see a man standing close by smiling at him. A man he knew from his dreams. But couldn't see his face to well. The man had the same features of his mother. The man extended his hand out to Red to shake his hand. Red smiled and took the illusion's hand. The man bowed to him respectfully. Red bowed back and then was embraced by the ghost. He hugged the man back. He turned around when he heard someone call his name. He found a young woman standing in front of him. But she wasn't wearing a dress like everyone around him. And she looked mad.

"Red! Watch out!" Red heard Yuffie cry out. The illusion around him vanished when he blinked. And he got a foot right in the face knocking him to the ground. "Who the hell are you!" Red heard a rough voice (Cid). Red tried to sit up only to get bowled into by the one woman. She was throwing her fist at him, which he caught and with a jerk he pulled her right off her feet and to the ground. The woman gave a yelp of shock as she found herself being pinned to the ground. Red stared down at her with surprise. He knew those eyes. He remembered them from somewhere.

But he never got the chance to say anything because the other person that was with this woman had a spear in his hands and he swung it hitting Red in the side of the face. The young man cried out rolling off the woman. She pounced on him again and had him pinned this time. Yuffie decided to join in by jumping on the pilot's back. "What the &&!" The pilot cried out. He grabbed Yuffie's arm and flipped her off onto the floor. He quickly pinned her down with the spear.

Red stared wide eyed up at the woman sitting on his chest, pinning his hands beside his head. An angry look on her face. "Who are you! And what are you doing in here!" She demanded. It was a little dark so she couldn't see his face. The sun had just gone down making it darker. Red swallowed hard as he looked up at her. He could see her face with the moonlight. And she was beautiful. A year younger than him too.

"Get the hell off of me, ya creep!" Yuffie's voice screeched out. Red tilted his head trying to look around the woman to see that Yuffie was being pinned down by the man. He gasped and tried to pull free. "Leave her alone!" He ordered. But the woman gripped his wrists tighter making him wince. She had a very good grip. "Ow, ow. That hurts!" Red cried out. The woman rose an eyebrow. "So answer my question." She said sternly.

Red winced again. The moonlight slowly crept over onto his face from the window now. Tifa's eyes lit up once she saw his face in the light. A very surprised look on her face. Red sighed. "Look, we were looking for a Tifa and Cid. Are you them?" He asked. Tifa quickly got off him and backed away to let him up. She looked over at Cid. "Let her up, Cid." She said. Cid let Yuffie go. Yuffie quickly got up and hurried over to Red's side to help him. They were all standing in the moonlight now.

"Yes. I'm Tifa and this is Cid." Tifa said folding her arms. "Who are you?" She asked. Red rubbed his wrists as he stared at her. "The name's Red. This is Yuffie. Look, we were told to talk to you about travelling papers. That you could help us." He said. Cid narrowed an eye at him. "Who told you about us?" He asked seriously. Both Red and Yuffie looked at each other. "I don't know. A few people who said 'You didn't hear it from me', a guy name Barret, Elmyra, there was a guy name Dyne who said that too. Look, we've come a long way just to get some papers. We're going to Midgar and we just need some papers that's all. Can you help us or not?" He asked with annoyance.

Cid was about to start snapping but Tifa slapped a hand over his mouth. "Wait, your going to Midgar? Why?" She asked with suspicion. Red shook his head with a sigh. "I'm trying to find my family. I've been looking for my family for the past ten years." He said. Tifa looked at Cid with a look. "Cid, it's him." She whispered dropping her hand. Cid stared at her. "What! Who's him?" He asked. Tifa nodded to Red. "He's him. The one we're looking for." She said. Cid eyed Red. "Him? You sure?" He asked. Tifa nodded.

"He's a strawberry blonde, he has blue eyes. He looks graceful. And he's han..." She quickly cut off. Cid grinned knowing what she was thinking. "Go on. Say it." He said slyly. Tifa blushed a little. "He's handsome and he looks like Rufus Shinra." She whispered to him. She pointed to behind them on a wall. All four of them looked up at a portrait of three people. The boy in the picture looked just like Red.

Yuffie's jaw dropped "Whoa! Red, that kid looks just like you!" She said. Tifa spun around eyeing her then Red. "Hold on. You said your family is in Midgar and you want to go see them?" She asked. Red bit his lip. "Well...I think they're in Midgar. You see, I don't quite know. Um...you see I'm suppose to be an orphan. But I know that I have family still somewhere. I'm sure it's in Midgar." He said. Tifa nodded slowly now walking forward. She began to circle Red who looked uneasy trying to keep his eyes on her. She was looking him over. "You know, you look like him." She said. Red narrowed his eyes on her. "Like who?" He asked. Tifa nodded towards the portrait.

"Rufus Shinra. The heir of the great Shinra company of the world. You look exactly like him. Has anyone ever told you that?" She asked. Red eyed her carefully. "Uh...yeah. Plenty of times at the orphanage. And will you please stop looking at me like that?" He asked. Tifa stopped circling him, standing right in front of him. She smiled sweetly. "They say that Rufus Shinra is the only one in his family that escaped the small war eleven years ago. What happened to your parents?" She asked. Red narrowed his eyes with confusion. "I don't remember. I lost them ten years ago. I think they were killed in the war." He said.

Tifa's eyes lit up with more interest.She smirked even more. "You know, that's so funny. The man who runs Shinra Inc. now was Rufus Shinra's uncle, Rupert Feine. He has been searching for his lost nephew for eleven years.And he lives in Midgar City at the company. Why do you think Rufus wouldn't go to his own uncle?" She asked. Red and Yuffie looked at each other with skeptical looks. "What are you talking about? What does this have to do with me?" He asked. Cid grinned. He had caught on to Tifa's little plan. "Tifa, maybe the &&ing kid has got amnesia. Can't remember diddly squat of who he is, who his family is, or where he belongs." He said. Tifa smiled brightly. "Yes, that is quite the theory, Cid. Maybe..." She paused looking right at Red. "He's standing right in front of us and he doesn't even realize it." She said. Both eyed Red.

Red shook his head. "Look I just want to go to Midgar. Me and Yuffie just wants some papers to get there." He said with a sigh. Yuffie nodded. Tifa stuck out her hip a little. "Why? What's your reason to go to Midgar?" She asked. Red looked offended. "That's my business, not your's." He said. Tifa shrugged. "Look, _Red. _Rufus Shinra's uncle is in Midgar. And we're going to take him to Midgar so he can be with his family." She paused looking him over again. "I think you are Rufus Shinra." She finished. Both Red and Yuffie stared at her then gave a short laugh.

"Yeah right." Yuffie said. Tifa shrugged. "You never thought of the possibility?" She asked. Red shook his head trying not to laugh. "That's ridiculous. I know the story about that kid from others probably just as much as you do. The kid is dead. And me...well, look at me! I don't even look like a rich kid." He said looking himself over. Tifa spun on her heel and pointed up at the portrait. "No! You look at him! Just take a good look at him. Look at the eyes! They're yours!" She said sharply. Red stared up at the picture.

He reached up softly and touched the necklace around his neck. He played with it for a second before looking around the ballroom remembering what he had seen and Yuffie didn't. It didn't make too much sense then again it did. Red turned his eyes back onto the boy in the portrait. It sure looked like him. Tifa shook her head and turned away. "You don't have anything to lose. There is connection there. And if I'm wrong about you, Rupert Feine will know. He'll just tell us that we're wrong. No harm done and we can be on our way. Either way, you'll be Midgar." She said walking away with Cid right behind her.

Red looked down at the ground. Yuffie was watching with concern. "Red?" She asked touching his arm. Red closed his eyes and turned around to look after Tifa and Cid, who had paused at the door. Tifa smiled faintly. "Come on. Find out the truth. Come with us to Midgar." She said holding out her hand towards him. Red and Yuffie looked at each other then back. "Alright. I'll go with. Just as long Yuffie comes with." He said with a smirk. Tifa and Cid glanced at each other then shrugged. "Sure. Why not, Shinra. She can come." They both said with smiles. They all left the room.

In the dark, Sephiroth stepped down looking grim. His eyes narrowed. "Great." He muttered. He shook his head. "He's not going to be very happy." He spoke softly. He closed his eyes and just like that, teleported out of thin air.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

On the tops of the dark mountains of Mt. Nibel there were the ruins of a reactor. They had been abandoned a very long time ago when there were monsters residing inside. People had died up on those mountains because of the monsters. It was always cold and windy on the tops. Rarely there was snow for some reason.

Sephiroth appeared out of thin air in front of the reactor. His eyes opened showing those eerie green orbs. They looked up at the top where there was a light on. It was the room of his father. Sephiroth turned his eyes forward and began walking into the building. He climbed up the stairs, his hair was swirling behind him in the wind. He stepped into the large building. Everywhere there were minions all shapes and sizes. Monsters, people. Anyone who desired the dark arts. When Sephiroth entered, every single one of them froze with fearful eyes. They knew him well and that he didn't tolerate nonsense. The silver haired man could be cruel just like his father and wouldn't heisitate to chop them in half with his long sword. They all remained quiet and still as he passed them.

He didn't look at anyone of them as he walked forward. His eyes just remained forward. Sephiroth climbed a large staircase passing every single monster that froze because of their fear of the silver haired demon. Finally he reached his father's quarters. He stopped to take a deep breath. He knew what Hojo was like when he lost his temper. But he knew he had to inform him that one of the Shinra's still lived. Sephiroth pushed the door open and walked in.

Hojo was staring into a fireplace at the red hot flames. He looked very evil in the light. He didn't look at Sephiroth when the man entered. The room was very dark only the fire was the source of light. Sephiroth quietly walked closer. "Father." He spoke softly. Hojo turned his head by only an inch. "I told you not to call me that." He said coldly. Sephiroth remained emotionless. "Forgive me for interupting." He said while watching Hojo turned and pour him a drink. "What do you want?" He asked. Sephiroth stood still in his place. "I was in town, back at the Shinra Mansion. Watching those people who are spreading rumors about Rufus Shinra being alive." He said. Hojo snorted while taking a drink.

"Fools. Why spread lies? Everyone knows that little snot is dead." He said turning away looking back into the flames. Sephiroth closed his eyes breathing in frustration then opened his eyes. "That's not true. He's alive." He said. Hojo looked over his shoulder. "He is not. He is dead. The mobs have killed him." He said his eyes narrowing. Sephiroth shook his head slowly. Hojo turned fully. "How do you know?" He asked coldly. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "I've seen him. He calls himself Red though. He doesn't remember who he is. It looks exactly like that boy and he smells like him." He said coolly.

Hojo growled with angery and then threw his glass hard against the wall. He let out a howl of rage that echoed throughout the reactor. The mad scientist started thrashing the room. He threw a table across the room smashing it against the wall. Sephiroth just stood firm. Hojo went towards a large cabinent and threw it open. Inside was the black orb he had worn around his neck before. Hojo snatched it and held it up infront of his face. "My source of power. The owner of my soul. I need your help once more." He hissed.

Sephiroth just watched. "Father, he's just a kid. Twenty-one years old and he doesn't remember anything at all. He doesn't remember you. Why must you go after him?" He asked coolly. Hojo shot him a look. "I cursed all the Shinras. They will all be dead!" He exclaimed.Sephiroth lightly moved back still looking emotionless. He wouldn't let anyone know it but he feared his father. No matter how short that man was. He had power and he used it all the time. Hojo just glared at Sephiroth. "The Shinras tried to kill me and I swore to kill them all. All of them! And if Rufus Shinra is indeed alive, he will have a child sometime. And the Shinra Company will continue! I will no let that happen!" He growled.

Sephiroth just stood his ground. Hojo held the orb and looked into it. "Where is he? Where is Rufus Shinra?" He asked it. The black orb glowed a deep purple. Dark smoke burst from the orb forming images in the room. It was showing a train station. It formed more images. There they were. Rufus, Yuffie, Tifa and Cid standing together on a plateform. They were trying to catch the train. "Hmm. He has made some friends. Ah, no matter. They will die with him." Hojo said. Sephiroth watched the orb too. "Finish my revenge." Hojo hissed.

The smoke thickened and formed into little winged demons. The all looked Hojo hissing and smirking at their master. Hojo narrowed his eyes on the orb. He sneered. "He is not to get of that train...alive." He hissed moving towards the door. He kicked it open to let the demons out of the tower. Sephiroth followed him. The demons filled the air. The sky practically was full of the little bat like demons. "Go! I don't care what you do to the others! But kill that boy!" Hojo roared. The demons all flew off while Hojo laughed wickedly.

Far across the ocean and a large field of plains in the city of Midgar, Rupert Feine was staring dully at the young man standing in front of him. A very upset yet angry look on his face. Vincent Valentine standing behind him looking almost just as upset. The young man in front of them was trying to act like he was Rufus. Rupert shook his head with disbelief and anger. "I remember like it was yesterday. We used to flirt with girls. I was always such a ladies man." The young man said with a smile on his face.

Rupert looked up at Vincent who looked back at him. The red haired man nodded for him to do his duty. Vincent sighed and nodded. He stepped forward. "That's enough. Get out of here." He said. The young man looked surprised. "But, I'm not done with my uncle Ron." He said trying to make an excuse to stay. Vincent narrowed his eyes before he grabbed 'Rufus' by the front shirt and dragged him roughly out. "Don't you have anything better to do than lie and try to break a man's heart!" He snapped as he threw man out of the room. He slammed the door.

A young man wearing a blue uniform looked really guilty. He had flaming red hair and stunning green eyes. He looked a little like a rocker. He had a pair of sunglasses on his head and unlike others, his cloths wasn't very orderly. "I'm so sorry, sir. I really thought that was him. He was so convincing." He said with a small grin. Vincent walked back over to Rupert's side grumbling. "Reno, there is a big difference on strawberry blonde and black hair. Plus that kid was 29 years old. Not 21." He said coldly. Reno cringed. "Well, I swear, sir. Me, Rude and Elena will think up very hard questions next time!" He said with a nod.

Rupert looked over at him and shook his head vigorously. "No. That's enough, Reno. I will see no more boys claiming to be Rufus." He said standing. Reno cringed. "But..." He was saying. Vincent gave him a look of silence. Reno shut his mouth quickly. Rupert moved over to the window and stared out with a deep sadness. "No. I can't take it anymore. My heart is broken and it can't take anymore cracks. Rufus is dead. This company is going to fall without the direct heir. I'm no Shinra. I can't keep running it forever. And my heart just can't take it anymore. No more Rufus Shinras." He said shaking his head. He turned and walked out with Vincent behind him.

Red sat on a bench letting Yuffie resting against him. He was resting his eyes himself and his arm around his young friend trying to keep her warm. Tifa and Cid were standing together, forging their travel papers. She was glancing over her shoulder to see if someone important was coming while Cid signed the papers. "Come on, Cid. Hurry up with those papers." She whispered. "I am. I am. Shush." Cid muttered finishing it up.

The train gave a loud whistle and Red jolted awake. He blinked several times before realizing it was just the train. Giving a wide yawn, he carefully put Yuffie down and stood. He stretched before moving over to Tifa and Cid. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked. Tifa jumped and spun around swinging her hand. Only to hit Red right in the nose. "Ow!" Red yelled out covering his nose. Tifa's eyes widen and her jaw fell. Cid burst out with laughter waking Yuffie up. "Oh! I am so sorry!" Tifa cried out. Red's eyes were a little watery. He tried to smile but it came out painfully. "Uh, dat's okay." He said, his nose bleeding just a little.

They were aboard the train and settled in their compartment. Red's head was tilted up trying to stop his nose from bleeding. Tifa was holding a tissue against it. "Here. Hold on to that." She said. Red blinked a few times as he did. They met each other's eyes. Tifa couldn't help but look into those blue eyes. They were quite nice. She cleared her throat and forced herself to break eye contact by sitting down.

"Man, you sure Red and I are going to be okay with you? Your sure kinda dangerous, Tifa." Yuffie teased. Tifa blushed bright red. "I said I was sorry." She said folding her arms. Red shook his head. "Hey, don't worry about it. The bleedings stopping anyways. I startled you. I'm sorry." he said. Tifa sighed lowering her head. "No, I should be the one to say sorry. I hit you." She said blushing. Red shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He said now looking out the window. He spotted some people running for the train now that it was going. He blinked remember something. "Hey, Red?" Yuffie asked. Red jerked back to reality.

"What?" He asked. Yuffie, Tifa and Cid were staring at him. "You &&ing alright?" Cid asked. Red stared at him. "Yeah. I'm fine. You mind not swearing?" He asked. Tifa rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Yeah, right. That's all he does. Don't waste your breath on him." He said. Red shrugged. He looked back out the window when suddenly the door opens and a guard came in. "Papers." He said. Tifa and Cid looked at each as the guard stared down at them. The pilot pulled out all four papers and handed it to them. The guard looks down at them with a frown then looked back at them. "Wait here." He said seriously. Tifa and Cid slowly looked at each with an 'Uh-oh" look on their faces. Cid quickly stood and went to the next compartment where there was a blonde with unbelievable spikey hair and blue eyes. "Uh, Papers." The pilot said in a tone that matched the guards. The blonde stared up at Cid with suspicion. "Why? Who are you?" He asked. Cid gave him a scowl. "Look buddy! I'm the & guy who checks the papers and if you doing &#& show them to me, your gonna be catching the & next train!" He exclaimed. 

The blonde stared with wide eyes and hurried and fished out his papers. "Alright, alright, alright! Don't need to get mad." He said nervously. He handed them to Cid who made a quick look over them. His eyes went wider and his jaw dropped. "Uh, thanks." he said throwing back at the passenger and quickly went back to Tifa and the other two. He sat down looking very nervous. "Uh, Cid?" Tifa asked. Red and Yuffie glanced at each other. "Something wrong?" Yuffie asked. Cid sent them a sarcastic grin before leaning towards and whispering something to her. Her own jaw fell and she jabbed Cid hard in the arm. "Why didn't you say so in the first place!" She exclaimed and stood. "Uh, Rufus, Yuffie..." She was saying. Red rolled his eyes. "Its Red." He corrected. Tifa rolled her own eyes and shook her head. "We need to get off this train. This train isn't going to Midgar, it's...going to Rocket Town." She said quickly grabbing her bags. Red and Yuffie stood and grabbed their bags too. "Uh...why don't you tell the guards that it's a misunderstanding?" Yuffie asked as they quickly made their way towards the back of the car.

"Uh...because they won't believe us. They'll just arrest us and we don't want that." Cid said pushing Red and Yuffie quickly down the car. He glanced over his shoulder seeing the guard talking with other guards about the papers. "Uh, let's hurry before they decide we are going to jail." He said quickly as they made it into the next car.

Outside Hojo's minions had arrived and were beginning their search for Rufus Shinra and his companions. They were crawling window to window looking in. Three crawled inside the cars looking at each person who didn't seem to notice anything. One spotted a young man who looked a little like him from the back. It flew down and grabbed the man's shoulder spinning him in his seat only to come to a horrible disfigured face. The minion let out a fearful screech and shot away from the man who just stares with surprise then shrugs.

Tifa, Cid, Red and Yuffie quickly made their way out of the car only to find a dead end. There were no more cars. They look around for a second before Tifa quickly started to climbed up on the roof. "Wait there for a second." She said pulling herself up. Red turned to Cid giving him a look. "What is going on?" He asked. Cid looked uneasy. "Uh..." He was saying. Tifa stuck her head over the edge. "Come on up!" She said quickly moving back. Red stared but sighed and hoisted Yuffie up first then himself. Tifa helped them. Then Cid had to climb up. He had a little trouble because he was much heavier than the others. All three had to pull him up. But they didn't see the minion trying to grab a hold of his leg but missed.

Once up on the roof, Red stood up to take a look around from their view only to see a tree branch coming straight for him. His eyes grew wide but Tifa grabbed a hold his hand and yanked him back down knocking a little air out of his lungs. "What are you doing! You don't stand up when your on the roof of a moving train!" She snapped. Red groaned as he tried to catch his breath. He gave her a dark look. Yuffie let out a gasp and pointed. "Look out!" She screeched. They all looked forward and saw the top of a tunnel heading straight for their heads. They all gasped and ducked low just as the tunnel went right over them.

"Well, I'll tell you what! I'm never riding a train again!" Red yelled over the speeding winds. Yuffie whimpered as she covered her head. "Me too!" She whinned. Cid was swearing the most vulgar words ever known to mankind. Tifa shook her head with an annoyed sigh.

On the sides of the trains, the minions were climbing up to get on the roof. Just as the train emerged from tunnel and back into the light, Tifa caught a quick glance at one and thought it was one of the guards. She gasped and grabbed Red pulling him up. "The guards are coming! Come on!" She said now pulling Yuffie and Cid up. They began running as fast as they could to the front of the train now. The minions had spotted Red finally. Hissing they began to pursue them. The four were half way there when they spotted the real guards climbing up on the roof. "There they are!" One yelled. "Aw, holy mother of +&& Gaia!" Cid exclaimed. Tifa spun around to look behind them only seeing what the things really were. She stared for a minute and decided that she didn't want to find out. She looked back forward to see another tunnel speeding towards them. She gasped. "Hit the deck!" She screamed. The other three quickly look forward and then complied.

The minions however didn't. They were flying, leaping car to car to get to their prey when suddenly they smashed into the wall and burst into black smoke. Each one pounding against the wall. The train came out of the tunnel again. Red sat up and looked around. "Everyone alright?" He asked loudly. Cid was still swearing so that proved he was fine. Tifa sat up rubbing her head. She had smacked her head against the side trying to avoid a blinking light. "I'm fine!" She snapped. But there was no answer from Yuffie. Red gave a sharp intake of breath and looked around. Yuffie wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Yuffie!" He yelled.

"Over here!" He heard her from the side of the train. Red quickly crawled over the side and look down. Yuffie was hanging on a mail hook kicking at the side trying to get up. "Red! Help!" She screamed. Red gasped and reached down to grab her wrist. Tifa and Cid quickly hurried over to see what was going on. "Rufus, becareful!" Tifa cried out. Red rolled his eyes again. "It's Red!" He yelled over the noise. He grabbed a hold of Yuffie's wrist and started to pull her up. Tifa quickly looked over to see the guards quickly approaching. Red was just hauling Yuffie up with Cid's help. Tifa quickly looked over the edge of the train and saw a huge snow pile coming up. She nodded and quickly shoved all three, Cid, Red and Yuffie off the train, jumping after them. "AAAAHHHH!" Yuffie and Red screamed as they went flying. All four landed in snow drift. Tifa had landed on Red's stomach though while Yuffie landed on her butt and Cid landed head first into the deep snow.

Red gasped as his air once again left his lungs. Tifa quickly sat up giving him a look. "Well...that was dumb." She said rolling off of him. Red sat up clutching his middle. "You must really like hitting me or at least causing me real pain." He growled. Tifa gave him a dirty look. "Oh shut up and be man!" She looked at Yuffie. "You okay, Yuffie?" She asked her tone softening. Yuffie turned a little to rub her butt. "Owie." She whinned. Red just grumbled with annoyance. He turned and helped Cid out of the snow.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Now in this chapter, our devish pair, Tifa and Cid, are going to start teaching Red about how Rufus Shinra is suppose to be. Not to mention they get to have a little fun trying to stay alive again. You'll soon see what I mean.

Chapter 4

Back in Hojo's domain, Hojo had been watching every thing in the black orb that was now floating right above the large table. He let out a loud growl of rage. "Those pathetic creatures!" He snarled. Sephiroth was standing in the corner watching with amusement. He found it very amusing seeing his father losing his temper like that over his own failure. "Well, they were your creations." He said. Hojo shot him a look. "Oh, shut up!" He snapped before looking back into the orb. The orb was glowing still but dimly. Hojo growled looking into before taking it into his hands. "He's too far away, isn't he? We need to get closer." He said. Sephiroth rose an eyebrow. "What do you suggest?" He asked. Hojo began to pace. "We must follow them." He said. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "You know, Hojo. This obsession of killing all the Shinras is really not the healthy." He said. 

Hojo rolled his own eyes giving him a look. "Oh, shut up. Since when did you ever care about my health!" he growled. Sephiroth snorted. "Good point." He shot back. Hojo gave him a dirty look. "We will pursue them in the morning. But now, the Black Materia must rest." He took the orb and placed it back in it's place in the cabinet.

Back with the travelling group, it was morning. They had made camp for the night. And when the morning came they began travelling down a path that was leading them in the direction of Midgar. "So where are we going?" Yuffie asked. Tifa blew out a sigh. "Well, we need to go to Costa Del Sol first, we might stop by Corel and Gold Saucer on the way." She said. Cid nodded. "We have a lot of work to do though. We have to prepare Red for the audience with the Turks and their leader, Vincent." He said. Red stopped and looked over his shoulder. For some reason that name ringed a bell.

"Vincent and the Turks? Who are they?" He asked. Tifa folded her arms as they walked. "Well, Vincent's Rupert Feine's bodyguard and best friend if I remember right. And the Turks are the ones who decides who gets to see your uncle." She said. Red stared. "Why do we have to see them first? Why can't we just see Rupert Feine?" He asked. Cid and Tifa looked at each other. "Well, that's a little hard to explain. We have to try and convince the Turks that your Rufus Shinra or we can't see Rupert." He said. Red gave a short laugh and shook his head. "Wait, you never said anything about having to prove that I'm a Shinra." He said. Tifa shook her head. "Look, Ruf...Red. That's just the way it is." She said. Cid nodded. "We're just trying to refresh your &#&&ing memory." He said. Red gave him a look.

"Will you please stop that ridiculous swearing! Gods, your as bad as Yuffie!" He exclaimed. Yuffie pouted. "Hey!" She whinned. Red shook his head looking himself over. "This isn't going to work. I don't have any memories of being a rich boy. And I don't even look like one. No one is going to believe that I am Rufus Shinra." He said moving over to the near by stream to sit down. "I'm just not good enough to be that." He said with a sigh. Tifa and Cid looked at each other before both going over to stand at his sides. Yuffie followed. Tifa looked down in the water. "Red, tell me. What do you see in the water?" She asked pointing.

Red looked down at his reflection. He could see how dirty his face was and his hair wasn't that clean. He wore raggy and dirty cloths. Tifa reached up and brushed his long bangs out of his face. She cupped some water into her hand and wiped his face. Red didn't do anything to stop her. "Just look. We clean you up, try and help you remember, and you will be Rufus Shinra, the heir and true leader of Shinra Inc. And you will be with your family again." She said softly. Yuffie smiled down in the water. "Red, you kind of do look like that Rufus Shinra kid." She told her friend. Cid grinned. "Let us begin." Red just continued to stare at the water at the blue eyes that had matched the boy in the portrait's.

"You were born in the summer house by the sea. Your mother's name was Danielle Feine Shinra. She was the sweetest woman you have ever known. Your father was never around because he was always working." Tifa told him as they walked. Red frowned as he looked at a book with pictures of his family. He was staring at the pictures. He was studying pictures of the summer house he was born in. "There was always business parties going on at the houses. The buffets were always marvelous." Cid said lighting a death stick. Red gave him a look for smoking that around him but he looked back at the book.

His eyes caught sight of the Head maid and his nose crinkled with disgust. "Oh, that's Scarlett. She was the bossiest person in the whole house." He said. Cid and Tifa looked at each other. "Did we tell you that?" Cid asked. Red looked at them. "You must have." He said simply. He continued to look at the pictures. Yuffie looked at papers.

They traveled for many days still learning everything. Red was trying to remember how to set a table for a party. "There was a fish fork, salad fork, meat fork and..." He paused trying to remember. Yuffie stared at him with wide eyes. "Exactly how many forks are there?" She asked. Red looked at her with an exasperated look on his face. "There was alot of them. Oh! The desert fork!" He said remembering. Yuffie, Tifa, and Cid laughed.

They continued on their way. They came to a small town called Corel. They had to get some things before they continued on their way. The town itself was a little run down. It looked like it had been destroyed not too long ago and everyone was trying to rebuild. Red and Yuffie looked around somewhat horrified. "What happened here?" They asked. Tifa sighed as she looked around. "The wars spread out pretty far. Corel got mixed up in it. Because of the death of the Shinra Family..." She paused looking at him. "And the disappearance of you, this town didn't really get that much help that they asked for." She said. Red looked at some of the children of the town who looked a little miserable. "Why didn't my uncle do anything?" He asked. Cid shook his head. "He's not the true heir of the company. Not a Shinra. He doesn't have the authority to do anything with the company." He looked away.

"There's some things he can't do and that's trying to make promises to fix everything up. Only a Shinra can run that business. The company is striving to stay open. Without you, Shinra Inc will fall." He said. Red looked around. "And without Shinra Inc.?" He asked. Tifa shook her head. "Without it, the cities every where will go into chaos. They all support Shinra and Shinra supports them. They'll fall together." She said. Red nodded as he followed them.

They did a little shopping before grabbing a bite to eat. They were eating at an outdoor restraunt. "Hey, Tifa? Cid? Is that you?" Someone called. All four turned around and looked to see who was calling. It was a very pretty looking girl. She wore a pink dress and a red jacket. She had long light brown hair that ran down to her lower back. She also wore a pink bow. Tifa smiled a little. "Hello, Aeris." She said. The girl hurried over. "What are you two doing here?" She asked smiling brightly. Cid shrugged. "Just stopping by." he said. Aeris nodded. She was eyeing Red slyly. "Who are your friends?" She asked. Red glanced at Tifa, who looked just a little annoyed. "This is Red and Yuffie. So what are you doing here?" She asked. Aeris shrugged. "Oh, just taking a break. Tonight Reeve is throwing a huge party at Gold Saucer. All the rides and attractions are going to be half price off. Plus I'm going to star in the show again." She said brightly. Tifa nodded as she looked at her three companions. "That's really good." She said dully. But Aeris didn't seem to hear her. "Oh! You guys should come too!" She said merrily. Tifa and Cid looked at each other. "Well, we were going to Gold Saucer to talk to Reeve. Maybe we can weasel our way in." Cid suggested. Aeris clapped her hands merrily. "Great! I'll tell Reeve that your coming!" She said hurrying away.

Tifa opened her mouth to say something before shutting it and face-palmed. "Crap." She said. Red smirked finding this very amusing. "What? What's with the long face?" He asked. Tifa looked up at him. "Um……" She paused. Cid grinned. "Every time we go to see Reeve at Gold Saucer, Reeve asks her to be in the play." He said. Yuffie's eyes lit up. "Play? What play? I wanna see a Play. Especially if Tifa's in it." She said smiling. Tifa went bright red. "No way. The last time I was in the play, I bruised the knight's ribs for kissing me." She said still turning more redder. Cid laughed. "Haha, tell the truth, Tifa." He looked at Red and Yuffie. "She decked the knight in the chest for touching hers, sending the guy flying across the room. It was an uproar play. Everyone was cheering and wanting to see her kick the dragon's butt next." He said.

Both Red and Yuffie laughed while Tifa continued to blush. "There's also one other problem, Cid." She added. Cid looked at her. "What's that?" he asked. Tifa looked at Red and Yuffie. "Well for one, look at them. They're going to let Red and Yuffie in if they look like that." She said. Red and Yuffie stopped laughing and looked themselves over. "Huh? What about the way we look?" Yuffie asked. Cid eyed them before nodding. "Good point." He said. Red stared. "What's wrong with the way we look, Cid?" he asked. Tifa shook her head. "Well, you look very homeless. We need to get you cleaned up and get you some nice cloths." She said. Red looked himself over again and then at Yuffie, who shrugged.

They a room at the inn and let the two orphans get showered and cleaned up while Tifa went out to find some cloths. She was sneaking into someone's laundry that was hanging outside on a line. She grabbed pants, a shirt, under garments and snatched some shoes that was Red's size. She also snatched a small outfit for Yuffie. Then hurried back to the inn.

Red was still getting dressed while Yuffie examined the dress she was wearing. "Why the hell do I have to wear a dress?" She asked with spite. Tifa looked her over. "You look very cute, Yuffie. Very lady like." She said. Red just came out as soon as she said that and took one look at Yuffie and laughed. Yuffie whimpered. "I look so stupid! I can't wear this!" She whinned. Tifa gave Red a sharp look then looked him over. "At least I don't look like one of those gang members that live in Midgar! Your pants are way too baggy." She shot. Red stopped laughing and looked himself over. "Well, you're the one who wanted to buy the cloths without me trying them on first." He said folding his arms. Tifa glared but didn't say anything. Cid shook his head. "Tifa, you help Yuffie spice herself up while I help Rufus." He said. Tifa nodded as she took Yuffie by the hand and lead her into the other room. Red rolled his eyes.

Later, after they were all done trying to look nice, the girls came out in their little outfits. Red was trying to fix his shirt. He and Cid had fixed his cloths and now he looked more better. He looked up when Yuffie and Tifa walked in. His eyes lit up seeing Tifa. Like Yuffie, Tifa was wearing a dress. She was wearing a dark blue skirt and top. Her hair was pulled up into a messy bun. She had blue tear drop earrings hanging on her ears. She looked very nice. Yuffie was wearing the dress from earlier but it looked different. It was a green dress. The skirt went down to her knees and she wore a thin strap top. And her neck was a silky yellow scarf. Red smiled at them along with Cid. "You two look very lovely." He said. Both girls blushed and nodded. "Thank you, Rufus……I mean Red." Tifa said. "Well should we be off?" Cid asked not noticing the looks Tifa and Red were giving each other. It wasn't the normal looks. They were pretty much checking each other out.

They went straight to the Rope Way, taking their things with them so they could check in to the hotel. They rode silently looking out the windows. The cart began to move upward towards the clouds. "So, are you an actress? Since you were always in that play." Yuffie asked. Tifa didn't look at her. If the others had a clear view of her face they would see that she had gone pale and her eyes were a little wide. She swallowed hard then turned with a smile. "Sort of but not really." She lied. Red nodded looking out the window again. Yuffie joined him. Cid looked at her with an unlit death stick hanging on his dry lips. A concerned look on his face. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "You should tell them that you were. Reeve might say otherwise. You know how he is." Tifa nodded. "Yeah, but if I told them that I could act, sing and dance, they would get suspicious." She whispered back. Cid shook his head. "No, I think that Red might be even impressed with you." He grinned and winked. Tifa turned bright red.

"Oooh! Look!" Yuffie gasped. Tifa and Cid stood and went over to Red and Yuffie's side. Red's eyes were wide with a spark of excitement. They could see Gold Saucer. It was the most amazing place Red and Yuffie had ever seen. There were lights, music, lots and lots of people. It was the most colorful place. Red could see chocobo races, a large rollar coaster, a out door stage. He was so amazed by this but something seemed familiar. "Alright, Rufus Shinra. Here's another test." Cid said sitting back down. Red looked at him. "Huh?" He asked. Cid nodded. "This place, Gold Saucer. Who built it and when was it finished?" He asked. Red looked back at the giant theme park. He bit his lip and squinted his eyes. He didn't remember too well. But then a flash flew across his mind. He smiled. "My father, Augustice Shinra had it built for my sixth birthday. It was finished before my ninth birthday. We went to the grand opening and rode every single ride." he said. Tifa looked at him with awe. She looked at Cid. "Cid." She paused. Cid was grinning proudly but looked at her. "We never told him about Gold Saucer. I almost forgot about that." Tifa whispered. Cid's mouth fell alittle and he looked at Red who was still looking out the window.

Far from the cart, stood two figures on top of the theme park. Both with dark looks on their faces as they looked down at the cart, at the face peering out. Hojo narrowed his eyes. "That boy...has been a thorn. It's time to throw it away." He looked at Sephiroth. "Make sure he does not leave that cart. Alive." He said. Sephiroth looked at him then nodded. "Very well, Hojo." He told him and jumped off the building practically flying towards the cart.

The cart was approaching the station now. It was only five minutes before they would get off the cart. Yuffie leaned againest the side and smiled out. "This is going to be so much fun!" She said. Tifa nodded. "Yes it will be." She promised.

Suddenly there was a small jerk. They all jumped a little and looked around. "What was that?" Red asked. Cid stood and looked out the window. "I don't know. Maybe the ropeway is acting up." Tifa said. Cid looked out the window and around. His eyes found something very interesting. A silver haired man standing on the cords. A sword in his hand. He spotted Cid looking and smirked. He gave him a wave before raising his sword. "()&#!" Cid exclaimed leaping from his seat. "We have got to get off of this thing right now!" He yelled. Everyone jumped to their feet. "What! What's wrong!" Tifa asked with panic. Cid pointed at the window. "It's Sephiroth, Tifa! The bastard is cutting the cords!" He yelled. Tifa's jaw fell. Red and Yuffie looked at each other. "Who's Sephiroth!" They both asked. Tifa shook her head. "No time to explain!" She said hurrying towards the door.

She flung it open and looked around. There was no way of getting out that way. The cart jerked again. Tifa looked over at the cords. Sephiroth was no longer there. But the cords were starting to snap. "Oh no!" She said weakly. Red hurried to her and looked out. His eyes on the snapping cords. Yuffie was panicking. "We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die!" She cried. Red glanced at her then back at the cords. His eyes squinted then something flashed in his mind. He had seen a black haired man holding onto the similar cords and climbed up it. He spun around. "I have an idea!" He said. The other three looked at him. "What, what is it!" Tifa asked with fear. Red pointed at the cords. "We can climb up on those! I've seen it happen before! They have a good grip on them and we can just climb to the Gold Saucer station." He said. Tifa's eyes widen. "That is your brilliant plan! Are you crazy!" She screamed. Red winced then frowned deeply at her. "Hey! Your the one who pushed us off a speeding train!" He yelled back.

Cid looked up at the cords. "Well let's not just sit here and fall with the cart! He's right, Tifa!" He cried out. He nodded to the ladder. "We can climb onto that!" Red nodded. "I'll go first!" He said. Cid grabbed his shirt. "Oh no you don't! I will! Your life means more than mine! I'm old as it is!" He said climbed out onto the ladder. Tifa covered her mouth with tears filling her eyes. "Be careful, Cid!" She cried. Cid nodded. "Don't worry about me, Teef!" They watched him climbing the ladder, their fingers crossed and hoping. The cart jerked again and Cid almost lost his footing making Tifa and Yuffie scream. Cid held tight to the ladder and kicked for the steps again. "Don't worry! I'm (#& alright!" He yelled. He climbed up the rest and was on top of the cart. "Alright! Come on up!" He yelled. Tifa and Red looked at Yuffie. "Go, Yuffie!" They both said. Yuffie backed away. "No! I can't do this! I'll fall!" She cried out with tears running down her face. Red shook his head and held out his hand. "You won't fall! I promise you!" He said. Yuffie shook her head again. "I-I c-can't, Red. I'm scared!" She whimpered. Tifa smiled reaching out her hand. "So am I, Yuffie. But we have to leave or we'll all die." She said. Yuffie swallowed hard as she looked at their hands. She was shaking terribly.

Slowly she took both of their hands. "I promise you, Yuffie. You won't fall. I won't let you." Red said softly. Tifa nodded. "So do I." She said. Yuffie nodded and threw her arms around Red. "Hold tight onto me, Yuffie!" He told her. He looked at Tifa. "After you." He said. Tifa nodded and climbed out. Cid was holding out his hand out to her as she climbed. She took it and climbed up. Red had Yuffie on his back. She was crying into his back as she held tight but not enough to choke him. Red grabbed a hold of the ladder and climbed up. One of the cords finally snapped and the cart fell a little. Yuffie screamed and tightened her hold. Red held tight to the ladder. Tifa and Cid let out yells and held to the other cord. The other cord was holding though. After a quick second, Red looked up and continued to climbed. Yuffie was crying into his back.

The cart jerked again. The four gasped as they grabbed the cord. The other cord was starting to snap because of the weight. Tifa looked forward. "Well, what now!" She asked. Red grabbed the cord. "Pray that you have a good grip and start crossing!" he said. Tifa sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that." She said. Cid nodded. "Go!" he said. They began to climb across. Yuffie still crying in Red's back holding tight.

There was several people watching with horror written on their faces. Women covered their mouths and would scream when the cords jerked and started to give out. A man pushed through the crowd and gasped seeing them. He was dressed in a blue suit and had black short hair and a goatee. He hurried towards the station waving for some of their men to follow.

Cid had made it first. He climbed up to safety then offered his hand to Red and Yuffie. "Yuffie! Take Cid's hand!" He said. Yuffie shivered but did what she was told. Cid's hand gripped her's tightly and pulled her up with the help of the black haired man. Red turned a little to look at Tifa.

Suddenly the cords gave out and snapped. The cord jerked so hard that Tifa lost her grip. She gasped as she started to fall. "Tifa!" Cid, Yuffie and Red yelled. Red let one hand go of the cord and snatched Tifa's wrist. She gasped as she stopped falling looking up. "Hold on, Tifa! I've got you!" Red yelled. Tifa reached up and held his hand with both of hers. Red pulled her up with a struggle letting her wrap her arms around his neck and he began to climb up. Tifa tightly closed her eyes trying to hold in her fear.

Cid and the black haired man held out their hands to Tifa and took her arms. They carefully pulled her up then Red. The crowds watching broke into applause. Some cheered happily. Red was on his hands and knees breathing a little hard from the small adventure they just had. He looked at Tifa who was being hugged by Cid who looked back. They both smiled at each other. Cid grinned and so did Yuffie. "That was a good call, Red. Good job." The old pilot said. Red sat up straighter and looked over his shoulder. "Well we've got good news and bad news. The good news is we're alive. The bad news our stuff was still in the cart." He said. Tifa and Cid groaned. Everyone laughed.


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey, peoples. In this chapter, Tifa and Red gets to go on their first 'date'. Should be interesting. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 5.

They were escorted to the hotel. The man that had helped so happened to be Tifa and Cid's good friend, Reeve. He sent several people down to the desert below the theme park to see if they could find the groups' stuff. Reeve had paid for their stay at the hotel and was enjoying lunch with them. "I'm so glad you guys could come. Aeris told me that you were coming." He said smiling. Tifa nodded with a smile. "We're glad we could come too." She told him. Reeve looked at Red and Yuffie. He frowned a little staring at Red. "Well, this young man looks familiar. Who are your friends?" he asked. Tifa and Cid looked at each other trying to figure out how they were going to break the news to Reeve. Yuffie just jumped into it. "Hiya! I'm Yuffie! This is my best friend Red. Tifa and Cid likes to call him Rufus though." She said. Reeve's eyes shot to Tifa and Cid who smiled innocently. The man stared at them with surprise. "This is……" he paused. Tifa nodded. "Yes. It's Rufus Shinra." She told him.

Reeve stared with wide eyes. He then looked back at Red. His eyes squinted and looked him over. He slowly circled Red looking him over. Red kept his eyes on him. He was really getting tired of people doing that. Reeve faced Red again looking him in the eyes. "Oh my Hyne. It is Rufus Shinra. He looks just that little boy I once knew." He said. Red's eyes jerked over to Tifa and Cid who looked back. Yuffie stared. "Wait, you knew Rufus?" She asked. Reeve smiled stepping back. "Yes. Well, sort of. It was a long time ago. The last time I saw you, you were just a very small boy. You might not remember me." He said.

Red stared at Reeve with confusion on his face. Then another flash went across his mind. "You were friends with my father. You used to work for him, didn't you?" He asked. Reeve smiled and nodded. "Yes. I did." He looked at Tifa and Cid. "Well this calls for a celebration. You are my personal guests and everything is free of charge." He said. Tifa smiled shaking her head. "Thank you, Reeve." Reeve nodded. He looked at his watch. "Oh! I must run real quick. The play will be starting at Seven." He looked at Tifa and Cid then at Red. "You better make sure Rufus comes to see the performances. It's going to be good." He said grinning. They all nodded. "We plan on it." Cid said. Tifa nodded looking them all over. "Well, the biggest problem now is we need to clean up again. Our cloths are spoiled." She said. Reeve smiled. "Well, we just put in a gift shop. There's cloths on sale this week. Go ahead and buy whatever you need. Put it on my tab too. I can afford to buy you some cloths." He said. Cid nodded again. "Thank you, Reeve." He said. Reeve smiled looking at Red. "It's good to see you, Young Master Shinra." He said. Red blushed a little. "Uh, thanks." He watched Reeve quickly leave.

Red got cleaned up and was wearing dark blue jeans and a white shirt with the Gold Saucer logo. He was just stepping out of his room with Cid just as Tifa and Yuffie were. The two girls smiled seeing Cid and Red. Tifa was wearing jeans herself and a tank top and a black body sweater. Tifa was wearing tan shorts and a green top with a Cait Sith on it. They looked nice.

Red was smiling at Tifa who was smiling back. "So you ready to have some fun?" She asked. Red grinned. "Course." He said. Yuffie pumped her fists. "I'm ready!" She said cheerfully. Tifa nodded grabbing Cid's arm and looked at his watch. "The play's going to start in a few minutes. If you wanted to watch it we better go now." She said. Red and Yuffie nodded. "Okay. Let's hit the play." They both said at the same time. The four of them headed towards the theatre. The had just entered when Reeve walked up. "Hey, everyone. Enjoying your time?" He asked. They all nodded. "Of course, Reeve. This is Gold Saucer." Tifa said. Reeve smiled brightly. "That's great." He paused. "Uh, Tifa? Can I ask you a favor?" he asked. Tifa's eyes lit up and she frowned. "No, Reeve! Not this year." She said. Red and Yuffie looked at each other. "Huh?" They asked. Tifa shook her head. "Nothing." She said quickly. Reeve looked at her with a pleading look. "Please, Tifa! Just one song!" he begged. Red smirked. "What are you talking about?" He asked slyly. Tifa opened her mouth to say something but Reeve beat her to it. "Didn't Tifa tell you? She's quite the actress and singer. She can act, sing, dance, you name it. She can do it." He said smiling.

Tifa closed her eyes tightly waiting for the fireworks but they never came. "Oh really? No I didn't know that. If she can do that, she's very talented." Red said sound cheerful. Tifa opened her eyes and looked at him. He and Yuffie was smiling. "We'd love to hear you sing, Tifa." She said. Tifa looked at Cid who was smiling. Reeve nodded. "Please, Tifa. Do a little show for Rufus. It would be great to hear you sing again." He said. Tifa looked at him. "I can't do it anymore, Reeve." She hissed between her teeth.

Red smiled nudging her. "Come on. You can't be that bad." He said. Reeve nodded. "Believe me, Rufus. She's brilliant." He said. Yuffie jumped up and down. "Please, Tifa. Do it for us!" She said looking like a little puppy. Tifa held her breath looking at the others. Red and Cid were smiling. She looked at Reeve who looked hopeful. Tifa blew out a long sigh and lowered her head. She couldn't help but smile. "I haven't sang a song for two years, Reeve. But I will try my best." She said. The four burst with cheers. "Thank you so much, Tifa! I'll announce it after the play." Reeve said happily and hurried away. Tifa sighed and shook her head. Red smiled at her. "Your going to do fine, Tifa." He told her.

They sat down in the first row and watched the play. They could see Aeris performing as the princess. The audience laughed and cried at the parts. Red was really enjoying his time. He glanced a few times at Tifa who was smiling the whole time. He caught her sometimes lip syncing the lines. He couldn't help but smile.

Finally the play ended. People stood and applauded including the four companions. Reeve walked out and held up his hands. He waited till it was quiet before smiling. "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. We have a special treat. Those of who has been here before will remember this lovely young lady who has been the star of the play before. She has come to visit once again and has agreed to sing a small tune for us. Tifa Lockhart, please come up!" The crowds burst into cheers. Tifa just sat looking like nervous. Red smiled and took her hand making her look at him. "Your going to do fine." He whispered. Tifa smiled and nodded. She stood and went up. Everyone cheered.

Tifa walked onto the stage looking at the crowd. She stepped up to Reeve who one arm-hugged her. "So, Tifa. What are you going to sing for us?" He asked. Tifa looked at him before looking straight at Red. She lightly smiled thinking of something. "I know a song. I used to hear it all the time when I was a child. By a loving mother who was not mine. But her voice reminded me of my own that died when I was very little. This song is a mother's lullaby to her child." She said. She turned to the band and spoke something to them. They all nodded and readied to play. They began to play a small song. It started off slow. Tifa went over to the edge of the stage.

_Dancing bears,_

_Painted wings,_

_Things I almost remember,_

_And a song someone sings_

_Once upon a December._

Red slowly frowned as something flashed across his mind. He knew this song. He had heard it before. But where? He smiled again hearing the lovely voice of Tifa.

_Someone holds me safe and warm._

_Horses prance through a silver storm._

_Figures dancing gracefully_

_Across my memory..._

Tifa stopped singing for a moment as the band continued to play. She closed her eyes as she swayed to the music. The lights around dimmed to a blue light and fake snow began fall all around her.

_Someone holds me safe and warm._

_Horses prance through a silver storm._

_Figures dancing gracefully_

_Across my memory..._

Red continued to watch with awe. Tifa was beautiful singer. He was entranced by her voice. He felt something strange in his chest. His heart was beating faster than usual. He didn't understand it.

_Far away, long ago,_

_Glowing dim as an ember,_

_Things my heart_

_Used to know,_

_Things it yearns to remember..._

_And a song_

_Someone sings_

_Once upon a December._

The song slowly ended and Tifa was still standing there with her eyes closed. She slowly opened them and looked straight at Red. She smiled softly at him which he smiled back. For a minute no one clapped. They were still so entranced by Tifa's song. Finally everyone stood and burst into cheers. Cid whistled loudly. Yuffie jumped up and down as she clapped. Tifa didn't look at them. Her eyes were too busy looking straight at Red's. For some reason she couldn't take them off of his.

They were walking together. Yuffie had run off for a while to check things out. Cid went to the Battle Arena. So it was just Tifa and Red. They were eating some ice cream together while watching people play in the Game Center. "So where did you hear that song?" Red asked. Tifa didn't answer. She just stared into her ice cream. She didn't know how to answer that question. She bit her lip as she continued to look at her cup. Red looked at her when she didn't answer. "Tifa?" He asked. Tifa shook her head. "It was such a long time ago. I don't remember." She lied. Red could tell she wasn't telling the truth but he wasn't going to press her for the answer. He nodded.

Tifa looked around as they walked. "We still have a ways to go before we can convince Vincent about you being you." She said. Red didn't look at her. He just kept quiet. Then he paused. "Do you really think I'm Rufus Shinra?" he asked. Tifa looked at him. He looked back. Tifa smiled. "Of course, Red. Your are Rufus. I know you are." She told him. Red saw something flicker in her eyes. He didn't know what it was. "Tell me another thing." He said. Tifa tilted her head smiling. "What?" She asked. Red stared her right into the eyes.

"Why are you helping me? What's in it for you?" He asked. Tifa frowned as she stared him into the eyes. She couldn't possibly tell him that she was doing it for the reward money. She knew that he wouldn't like that. She smiled softly. "I want to see you be happy. You deserve to have a family, Red." She told him. Red squinted his eyes a little and he tilted his head. "Do I?" He asked. Tifa stared at him. "Yes. Everyone needs a place to belong."

Red nodded softly. "What about you? Where's your family?" He asked. Tifa continued to look at him. She slowly turned away not answering. She kept walking. Red watched her for a minute then followed. "Tifa, did I say something to offend you?" He asked. Tifa shook her head. "No. I just don't want to get into my family. Please don't ask me." She said. Red slowly nodded. "Alright." He said. They looked at some more players. After awhile Red decided to give a fighting game a try. Tifa watched with a smile as Red beat the computer down.

After that they went back to the hotel. Red walked with Tifa back to her room. They were laughing softly about how Red beat a large man at the fighting game. It was a lot of fun. They stopped outside her door. "Well I had fun." Tifa said. Red smiled as he continued to look at her face. He was seeing something he hadn't before. Tifa stared back into his eyes. They couldn't break eye contact. Red looked down at her lips. He wanted to taste them. Find out if they had any flavor. He started to dip his head slowly. Tifa softly moved her head back but stopped as she stared into his eyes. She couldn't move anymore. She had the same desire Red had. Red slowly lowered his head towards hers. Their lips were only an inch away from each other. Their eyes gazing into each other's.

"Tifa! Red! There you are!" They heard someone cry out. Red and Tifa were jerked back to reality and they broke away quickly and turned. Yuffie was hurrying up the stairs towards them. She was smiling. "Hey, guys! You won't believe this! But at least ten guys asked for my number! It was so cool!" She giggled. Red and Tifa silently laughed and shook their heads. "That's great, Yuffie." Red said. Tifa looked at Red. "Well, we better get to bed. We have an early morning. We're heading towards Costa Del Sol first thing in the morning." She said opening her door. Red nodded. "Goodnight." He told her. Tifa nodded with a smile. "Goodnight, Red." She waved and went in. Yuffie paused by the door looking at both of them. Her eyes lit up as realization hit her. She smiled as she watched Red go towards his and Cid's room. "They are so into each other." She grinned. "Talking about matchmaker time." She giggled rubbing her hands together. She hurried into her room closing the door behind her.

Red closed his door and leaned against it. His heart was pounding. Why was he feeling like this? He couldn't believe that he had almost kissed Tifa. "I can't be falling in love, can I?" he whispered. He shook his head and went to take a cold shower.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Remember the ship scene? Where Anya almost jumps to her death? Well that is what is about to happen to Red. He gets to have a dream that starts out good but ends bad. Luckily Tifa was there to save him. Again.

Chapter 6.

Before the four left Gold Saucer, Reeve gave them new bags full of some of their stuff that hadn't be destroyed and not to mention brand new cloths. He had given Red a set of brand new cloths for the meeting with his uncle. It was a nice black suit with a silky black shirt under it. For some reason it reminded Red of something but he couldn't put his finger on it. He kept it in his new traveling bag for the trip.

Gold Saucer had provided them a car as well. So they drove to Costa Del Sol. Along the way they continued with Red's tests and memory boosters so Cid liked to call them. They told him about the rest of the Shinra family and about several of the employees that worked for Augustice Shinra. Red was getting good at it though.

Finally they arrived in Costa Del Sol. It was very warm there. There were girls in bikinis which Red grinned and checked them out. Tifa poked him the side and told him to behave. Cid just laughed along with Yuffie. They were now looking up at the ship that they would be taking. It was a large yacht. A very excellent looking ship. Red and Yuffie was staring with awe. "What a beautiful ship." Yuffie said. Tifa smiled up at it. "It used to be a private yacht before the government took it over and started to use it." She said. She tried to remember who owned it. Cid scratched his head. "Yes. It was the seagoing vessel of great elegance. A large & party boat. It belonged to……Who was it again?" He asked. Red bit his lip thinking it was a quiz. He squinted his eyes.

"Don Corneo of Midgar City. He used it for his private parties. It was like a large night time pleasures for men." He made a disgusted face. "My uncle despised Don Corneo. That man was always rude and had the most annoying laugh." He said. Tifa and Cid looked at each other with wide eyes. They knew they had never told Red that.

That night, Red was going to try on the new outfit that Reeve gave him. The other three were waiting outside on the deck. Yuffie was looking off into the distance with a peaceful look on her face. Tifa was talking to Cid about a few things. That was until Red stepped out of the cabins.

All three turned their eyes onto him and their jaws fell. Red looked so handesome in his new outfit. It was perfect. His hair was much cleaner and looked a little glossy with the light shining on it. He was adjusting a tie with much difficulty. "Do I really have to wear a tie? I hate ties!" He grumbled.

Tifa smiled and shook her head. She stepped forward and took the tie off. "No. You never looked good with ties anyway." She said tossing over board. Red nodded. "Thanks." He said. Tifa nodded. Cid stepped forward. "Now it's time for another lesson. Dancing." He said. He looked at Tifa offering his hand. Tifa nodded taking it. "Now, watch carefully." She told Red who stepped back to watch. Cid placed his hand behind Tifa's back and held her hand while she placed other hand on his shoulder. They began a small waltz but Cid was terrible though. Red and Yuffie laughed most of the time.

Finally Cid decided it was Red's turn. He was going to try with Yuffie who groaned and whined the whole time. They kept trying but Yuffie would trip over Red's feet. "Hell! Forget it! I'm not dancing person." She said stomping over to the side. Tifa sighed. "Fine. I'll do it." She stepped over and they both got into position. Then they began to waltz and very nicely. Cid and Yuffie watched with smiles. Both Tifa and Red were dancing very well. They were staring into each other's eyes again. Just like they did at Gold Saucer. That was then Cid frowned as he watched. His eyes lit up and his unlit death stick fell from his mouth.

"Oh no." He whispered. Yuffie looked at him. "What?" She asked. Cid glanced at her. "We shouldn't have let them danced." He whispered. Yuffie looked back at Red and Tifa. "Why not? They're good." She said. Cid shook his head and swore silently. "No, it's not that they're bad. They're real good. (&&$ good. It's just……it's just something I left out that I shouldn't have left out." He said. Yuffie looked at him again. "What's that?" She asked. Cid sighed shaking his head watching the two. "Romance."

Tifa and Red were still dancing and gazing into each other's eyes. A smile on their faces. It was no doubt that they were attracted to each other. "You are very good, Tifa." He said. Tifa smiled at him. "Huh? Oh, thank you. So are you." She told him sounding a little dreamy. Red shared the same dreamy look at her. "Thank you." He told her. The boat swayed a little sending Tifa staggering closer to Red. They both laughed a little and didn't bother to readjust themselves. They just kept on dancing. Tifa then did something unbelievable. She laid her head against Red's chest looking very cozy. Red rested his head on hers and swayed with her.

Finally Cid decided to break it up. Talking very nervously at that. He had to interrupt or something would have happened. He knew it would have. "You are a natural, Red! Don't know how you (&$$ learned to dance so well but you were great." He said patting Red on the back. He grabbed Tifa's arm and lead her away. "Tifa, we need to go over the battle plans of how we're going to get to Midgar." He said. Tifa nodded. "Oh, yeah. Right. Come on Red and Yuffie." She said following him. Red smiled and followed with Yuffie behind them.

That night, they were in the their room. A storm had whipped up and the wind howled against the ship. The waves were just a little violent. No one was suppose to leave their room especially during the stormy nights. Red was looking through a book again about his family. Yuffie was curled up in her own bed trying to get to sleep but it was a little hard when the ship rocked so much. Tifa and Cid was going through their bags looking what they still had. "Well, we lost a few of the pictures but you can remember them, right? There were just some pictures of the old Turks." Tifa said picking up the bag. Just then something dropped out of it and hit the ground. Making a small thud on the wooden floor. Because the ship was tilting a little, it rolled right towards Red. Tifa gasped as she spun around and dropped her bag. "No." She scrambled to get it before it could roll under the dresser or something. But Red bent down quickly and caught whatever it was. "Got it. Here you……" he paused looking at it.

It was a small music box made out of metal. It had the most interesting design on it. And a small hole for a key. Red couldn't help but just stare at it. Tifa and Cid stepped over to see it. "What is this?" Red asked still looking at it. Tifa looked at it. "It's a music box." She said softly. Red fingered it. There was something about it. He knew it from some where. "Was it his? Rufus Shinra's?" He asked. Cid decided to let Tifa handle this one. He went over and climbed into bed while Tifa sat down next to Red and looked at the box. "Yes. You still don't believe your him, do you?" She asked. Red shrugged still looking at the music box. "I know I had something to do with that house in Nibelhiem. I just don't know what. I've got memories of elegant parties. Women in fancy dresses and jewels dangling from them. Men greeting each other with the latest news of their companies. And that boy, Rufus Shinra. I keep seeing him." He said. Tifa nodded slowly. "But it doesn't matter. As long I find out who I am and find my home, my place in life, I'll be happy." Red said handing the box back to Tifa. Tifa took it and looked at it.

"You know, the only thing you've got to worry about is losing that home. Just like I did when that war broke out." She said. Red looked at her. He folded his arms and tilted his head. "What did you lose? When the Shinra Family fell. Why won't you tell me about your family? You've told me all about mine and I'm happy for that. But what about yours?" He asked. Tifa sighed letting her hand fall into her lap and she looked away. Red couldn't help but look at her. She looked so beautiful even though she had that sad look on her face. He wished she would smile. She should always smile. "I've lost my family." Tifa simply said. Red frowned and squinted his eyes. "What?"

Tifa sighed and looked back at him. "It was that night. When the Shinra Family were killed. My only family, my father was murdered for trying to help some of the family escape. He was trying to get them to the train station before the train left with the Shinra Family. I was only a little girl and I had no one else." She stopped looking at the ground. Red stared at her with a painful look on his face. "What happened?" He asked softly. Tifa closed her eyes remembering. Tears flooded her eyes. "I found him just outside of town. He had been shot several times. He died in my arms. My mother died when I was only a very little child. I never had any brothers and sisters. I had no one." She looked towards Cid. "Then I went to Rocket Town hoping to find some work as a child. I ran right into Cid and he took me in. End of story." She said with a shrug.

Red lowered his head. "I'm sorry. For your family." He said. Tifa shook her head and forced a smile. "Hey, don't matter. You got to make your own way into the world. Don't be sorry for me. I just want to see you get your family. I'll get what I want. Cid and I are going to try and open up the biggest travelling agency in Rocket Town. Where anyone, even commoners can get travelling papers. We're going to be big. It's just going to be me, Cid and Cid's wife, Shera." She said. Red smiled faintly. "I didn't know Cid was married." He said looking at the sleeping cussing pilot. Tifa smiled and shook her head. "Yeah. Shera's a great woman. She's the only one who doesn't fuss over his swearing and smoking. Okay, maybe she does over his smoking but she loves him so much. Cares so much about him. And about me. She even told me that I was like a daughter to her. I have a family with those two." She said. Red smiled again.

He could see that Tifa was awfully tired. "You better get some sleep." He told her. Tifa nodded. "You too. We have a big day of travelling tomorrow." She said. Red nodded and laid down watching Tifa blow out the candles and climbed into her bed. He smiled seeing her sleeping. She was so beautiful. He wanted to caress her skin with his fingers, hold her tight but he knew it was never going to happen. He closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.

They were standing on cliff side in the rain just staring off at the ocean demonically. Jagged bolts of lightning lit up their features. Hojo held up the black orb. "Show me the boy." He said. Black and purple smoke formed the images of Red sleeping in his room. The evil scientist smirked. "Perfect." He said. Sephiroth looked at him with his cool green eyes. "What is?" He asked. Hojo nodded as more smoke began to flow from the orb. "Tell me. What would happen if someone was sleep walking on a deck of a ship in this storm?" he asked.

Sephiroth frowned deeply already knowing what was going on in his father's head. "You can't. Shouldn't we just kill him the normal way?" He asked. Hojo rolled his eyes. "No. This will be the perfect death. An 'accident'." He said smirking. He held it higher. "My great power, kill him with pleasurable dreams then dreams of fear. He will drown." He said. The smoke shot off towards the sea.

Back on the ship, Red was snuggled in his blankets. The black smoke flow through the cracks of the window and right over to the sleeping young man. It swirled around his head and inside. Red then smiled in his sleep.

He was dreaming about himself walking through a beautiful forest on a spring day. He was wearing a white outfit. A black turtle neck shirt under a white trench coat that matched his white pants. His hands were stuffed into his pockets. Red's strawberry blonde hair was combed back but several bangs hung over his crystal blue eyes. It was just a brilliant blue sky day. White fluffy clouds dotted the giant blue. For some reason there was a pink glow around him. Red stopped and picked a pretty flower and smelled it with a smile. He loved the smell of flowers.

He kept on walking when he saw someone standing in front of him. It was the blonde haired boy from the portrait. Red's eyes widen seeing him. The boy followed his movements. Red squinted his eyes and the boy did the same. Then they both smiled at each other. The boy held out his hand and Red did the same. They took hands and walked together practically skipping with happiness. The boy lead him towards a river.

Outside of his dreams, Red had stood smiling with his eyes closed. He walked towards the door with his arms raised a little to help him balance. He bumped into Yuffie's bed though, hitting her foot. Her eyes slowly opened sleepily and she yawned. She looked up to see Red opening the door. "Uh, Red? Where are you going?" She asked softly. But Red didn't answer. "Red?" She asked again. Red slowly turned a little to close the door and Yuffie got to see his eyes were closed. Yuffie gasped and jumped out of bed. "Red!" She cried out and hurried to the door but it closed and wouldn't open again. Red on the other hand was walking up stairs still smiling in his sleep.

Back in his dreams he was climbed a small hill with little Rufus. They were laughing as they slipped a few times but kept going up. They came to a large yard with a large pond. It was beautiful though. Always clean and small lily pads dotted here and there. A beautiful woman was on the bank enjoying the sun. Sitting next to her was a large built man smoking a cigar. Two tall men were in the water splashing each other and laughing. Both Red recognized as Rupert Feine and his friend, Vincent. They all looked up to see Red and Rufus. They smiled and waved.

Just then light surrounded Red and light smoke swirled around him. He blinked and looked down. He had just transformed into a little boy. The little boy. Rufus Shinra. He smiled seeing the happy faces and them waving at him.

In reality, Red was standing on the deck looking down at the churning ocean below. The rain pounding on him but didn't wake him. He was still smiling and sleeping.

Yuffie was trying her hardest to open the door. Tears running down her face. "Open! Open, please!" She begged. Tifa stirred hearing her crying. She slowly opened her eyes. "Yuffie……" She said sitting up on her elbows. Yuffie spun around. "Tifa! Red's outside!" She cried. Tifa jerked fully awake and looked at Red's bed which he wasn't in. She gasped and threw her blankets off of her. "Cid! Get up!" She screamed and ran to the door to help Yuffie open it. Cid woke up quickly and looked around.

Red was waving towards the ocean as if waving at someone and laughing. "Hello!" He called out cheerfully. Back in his dreams he was waving at the Shinra Family. They were happy to see him. "Come on in, Rufus! The water is great!" Rupert called. Red nodded and climbed up to the edge. "Come on, Rufus!" Vincent called smiling.

Tifa kicked the door hard sending it flying open. She ran down the hall with Yuffie and Cid right behind her. "Red!" They all cried out. Tifa staggered up the stairs and onto the deck. They look over and saw Red standing on a railing getting ready to step off. "Red!" Tifa screamed.

Red in his dreams heard someone calling him. He slowly turned his head a little but something caught his eye. Everything was darkening. The sky was going black and the trees around him were dying. Red looked down and gasped with horror. The pond had turned into a lake of fire and burning his family. They were crying out to him. A man was standing on a large boulder grinning evilly at him. "Come to me, Rufus Shinra. You will complete the curse." He said reaching out towards him. Red saw a flash of a memory of this man. This man was evil. He tried to step back but started to fall forward towards the fire. He let out a yell of fear. That is until a demon grabbed his arm and pulled him backwards. They both fell back and hit the ground hard.

The demon sat over him now and looked at him with wide eyes. Red yelled out and his eyes shot open. He saw Tifa looking down at him. "What the hell are you doing!" She screamed. Red sat up and looked around. His chest was heaving still trying to slow. His eyes were wide with fear. Cid and Yuffie were standing off looking at him with wide eyes. "What the (&$#( were you doing, Rufus!" Cid exclaimed. Red gasped for his breath trying to calm down. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his eyes. "There was so many faces. A face that terrified me. I'm……s-sorry." He said weakly pressed his face against Tifa's shoulder. Tifa blinked a few times before wrapping her arms around his head and hugged him.

Hojo and Sephiroth had been watching through the black orb. The short evil scientist seething quietly while Sephiroth smirked. He found this very interesting. It was not every day he got to see something like this. He had never seen two people just fall in love like this. And now new thoughts were going through his mind. "Hm. Interesting." He said. Hojo sent him a sharp look then looked back at Tifa and Red in the orb. "That boy leads a charmed life. Someone is always saving his life or he saving himself. I would have had him killed as a child but someone saved him. He would have died by my minions but someone saved him. That boy would have died in that cart but he saved himself and his friends. And then now, he would have drowned but someone saved him again." He growled.

"What is more interesting is, it is always that girl saving him. She saved him as a child and she saved him now." He growled. Sephiroth looked at him through his cool eyes. "She is just a girl, Hojo. He doesn't remember who he is. Maybe we should just leave them alone." He said. Hojo shot him a dirty look. "Sephiroth, if I didn't know better you are trying to change my mind in killing that brat. You have been going soft since that one girl from the church. You better toughen up or I will make sure that the flower girl will never see you again." He growled. Sephiroth gave him a dark look but didn't say anything.

Hojo looked back at the black orb and narrowed his eyes. "You are toying with me, aren't you?" He asked it. The black orb gave a small green shine and eyes narrowed right back at him. Hojo smirked and shook his head. He gave a small chuckle. He looked at Sephiroth. "We will continue to try and kill them. In the mean time, that girl will die as well. She can not be around to continue saving Rufus Shinra." He said turning away and walking off into the darkness. Sephiroth watched him go before sighing softly. He shook his head. "Father, this has to stop. This will be the end of you." He whispered before following him.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, readers. I think someone asked about what part Reeve has in the story, to tell you the truth, he doesn't really have a part. There's a few things that I've added in the story to change it from the movie a little. So there will be a few people in this story who isn't really that important.

Anywho, in this chapter, Red gets to learn a little about Hojo. He gets to find out who he is and what he had to do with ShinRa Inc. Also, there will be an unwelcomed visitor that Red and Yuffie despises. Anywho, again, on with the story.

Chapter 7.

They were back in the cabin and Red was flipping through the pages of one of the books frantically. "Uh, Red. What are you looking for?" Yuffie asked hugging her pillow. Red quickly tossed the book aside and grabbed another. "That face in my dreams……the one that almost killed me, I've seen it before. I know it." He said flipping through the pages. Tifa and Cid looked at each other. "It was just a dream, Rufus." She said. Red shook his head. "No it wasn't. I know it wasn't. It was something else. I have never slept walk in my life. You ask Yuffie. She slept in the same room with me and some of the boys at the orphanage." He said. Tifa looked at Yuffie who nodded. "It's true. I've never ever seen him sleep walk before." She told her.

Red was passing a page when his other hand quickly slid under the page to stop it. He opened up to the page and looked at a picture. He had found it. He stared hard into the picture before looking at Tifa. "Who is this?" he asked. Tifa slowly got to her feet and joined Red by his side. She looked at the picture. Her eyes slowly widen as she looked at it. She took the book and brought it closer to her face. Cid and Yuffie hurried over to join the two. They all looked at the picture.

It was a picture of Augustice Shinra with several employees. Rupert Feine sitting next to him smiling. Vincent standing tall behind him. There were several other men but the four weren't looking at them. There was one short man off to the far left. He had long black hair tied back and he wore a lab coat.

Cid swore very lowly under his breath. "That……is the biggest bastard in Gaia, Rufus. His name is Hojo. He's responsible for the death of the Shinra Family." He said. Red looked up at him. Something was going through his mind but he couldn't grasp it. It was too blurry right at the moment. "He's dead though, isn't he? I heard he fell into the icy pond that night and drowned." Tifa said. Cid nodded. "Yeah. He's suppose to be dead. There's no way he could be responsible for the things happening on our trip. Sephiroth, his son, just likes to kill people for the fun of it. Does it all the time." He said.

Red narrowed his eyes at the picture. "Well, they said that Rufus Shinra was dead but your so convinced that I am him." He said. Cid rose his eyebrows and tilted his head. "That's a good point, Red. But we know you are Rufus Shinra. You look exactly like him, you have his eyes, Rupert Feine's facial features, you even have a birth mark on your back. Exactly in the same spot Rufus had one." He said. Red shrugged. "Maybe." He said.

Tifa closed the book and put it back into the bag. "Let's not worry about it tonight. We can talk over breakfast. Let's just get back into bed." She said going to her bed and falling on it. They all nodded and climbed back into bed. Red stared up at the ceiling. He knew that name. Hojo. He knew that Hojo was someone he didn't want to face. Not if he could help it.

The ship had finally pulled into the Junon Harbor and the four climbed off carrying their bags. Red was dressed in the black outfit. That morning the four had talked about it. They had made the decision to start a publicity thing. Get the people to believe that Red was Rufus Shinra first as they went.

As they walked off the ship, several people looked at the tall young man with interest. Some of them were gawking with wide eyes. They were all whispering. Red did exactly what Tifa and Cid had told him. Stand tall, walk like a gentleman, and never look down. So he did so. And it was working. Some people were actually thinking they were seeing a ghost.

The only downside was Tifa's long hair got tangled up on a nail as she turned to look at Red and when she tried to keep walking it hurt. "Ouch!" She cried out dropping her bag and grabbing her hair. Red hurried forward. "Here." He said helping her. But she reacted by hitting him in the gut. He took it like a man though only grunting. People laughed. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Rufus." She said. Red rolled his eyes and rubbed his stomache. "Don't worry. It didn't hurt that much. I'm getting use to the fact that your using me as punching bag." He said. Tifa rolled her eyes and grabbed her bags.

They ate an outdoor restraunt talking about what the plans were. They were reviewing the memory lane for Red. He was passing each quiz with ease now. Just then a man stepped up gawking at Red. Red glanced at him nervously but looked back at Tifa who was still talking. She, Cid and Yuffie didn't seem to notice the man. Red was starting to shift uncomfortable in his chair trying not to look at the man. Yuffie finally looked at him and noticed his sidelong glances. She looked over to see who he was looking up. And at that moment, she must have scared every single person all around them by screaming and leaping out of her chair.

Red shot to his feet and grabbed Yuffie's arm, pulling her behind him protectively with an angry look on his face. Tifa and Cid looked at the man they were glaring at now. The man was a large man and he was glaring right back at the two.

"Well, well. Look who it is. Never thought I would see you two again." He growled. Red clenched his teeth. "Heidigger, what the hell are you doing here?" He growled. Tifa and Cid looked at each other real quick. Heidigger sneered. "I've come for 'Kid'. She still belongs to me." He said. Red and Yuffie looked at each other then back at Heidigger. "You kicked us both out, remember? What do you want with her for?" Red hissed.

Heidigger grinned cruelly. "Oh nothing. Just a little ransom thing that's all." He said. Tifa and Cid stood. "What? What are the ($&$# are you talking about?" Cid demanded. Heidigger looked at him. "Cid Highwind, if I were you, I would stay out of this. That girl is the Princess of Wutai. It's time for her to return home. And I'll be taking her back." He sneered. Tifa and Cid looked at Yuffie who was blushing. Red tightened his grip on Yuffie. "You will not touch Yuffie." He said sternly lifting his chin higher. Heidigger sneered at him. "And who are you to tell me what to do, Red? Your nothing but an orphan who has nothing." He growled.

Tifa frowned deeply and joined Red's side. "He is not. You do not know who you are talking to, scum." She spat. Cid nodded. "Tifa's &$#&& right! Do you even know who this young man is!" He demanded. Heidigger started to laugh his annoying horse laugh. "He is a nobody. No one important. Nothing but an orphan." He sneered. Red smirked and shook his head.

"Your wrong, Heidigger." He said. Heidigger stopped laughing and eyed Red. Red rose his chin and stood proudly. "I am Rufus Shinra." He said boldly. There were gasps all around them. Heidigger looked surprised but laughed again. "Yeah right. You…are Rufus Shinra. The kid who died years ago. Stop pulling everyone's legs." He laughed.

Yuffie folded her arms now looking proud. "Hey, fat man! He is who he says he is! This is Rufus Shinra! The true heir of Shinra Inc." She said. There were some smiles in the growing crowds. Some looked disbelieved. Heidigger started to look worried. "You are not Rufus Shinra. The boy died eleven years ago." He said. Tifa narrowed her eyes smirking. "Did anyone find Rufus Shinra's body then? They would have reported it." She said. The fat man didn't say anything. But someone did.

"No, they did not. But I did." They all turned their head and found a tall but husky looking man wearing a suit. "Excuse me?" Red asked. The man folded his arms. "Eleven years ago, I witnessed a ten year old boy fall from a train. That boy was called Rufus Shinra. I picked him up before the mobs could get a hold of him and took him to a doctor." He said. No one spoke but Red frowned. The man looked him over then smiled. He nodded. "Welcome home, Rufus Shinra." He said. The crowd began to cheer.

Heidigger stared with shock. "But….he's just an orphan!" He exclaimed. Red turned around and faced him. The man turned to look at him. "According to you. But do you have papers on the boy?" he asked. Heidigger didn't answer. The man nodded. "Go away then, Freddrick. You should have never came here. As mayor of Junon, these four are under my protection. You on the other hand will leave." He said. Red, Yuffie, Tifa and Cid smirked. Heidigger growled and stomped away.

The man smiled towards the four. "Rufus Shinra, please join me to the Presidential Palace." He said. Red looked at Tifa who smiled and nodded. Then the strawberry blonde looked at the man. "Yes. I would be honored as long as my companions are invited." He said. The mayor nodded. "I would have it no other way." He said. The four gathered their things and followed the mayor.

There were sitting in a cozy study drinking refreshments. The man smiled at Red. "I can not believe it is you. When I heard that commotion, I had to see for myself." He said. Red tilted his head studying the man. "Who are you? Am I suppose to remember you?" He asked. The man smiled and nodded. "Yes. But I'm sure that scar on your head is the reason why you don't remember. You did hit your head pretty hard on the rails. So I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember a lot of things." He bowed to Red.

"I am Mayor Domino of Junon City. I used to work for your father. I was there that night when you fell from the train." He said. Red squinted his eyes looking at the ground. "Train……I'm afraid I don't remember. I can see something about a train but nothing else." He said.

Mayor Domino nodded. "Yes. I understand." He said sitting down. Tifa crossed her legs. She was interested in this part. "What happened? How did you know he was Rufus?" She asked. Mayor Domino looked at her. "Well, he looks like the boy I once knew. Plus I was trying to escape on that train myself. I saw Rufus fall when Rupert was reaching for him. He fell and for a moment I thought he was dead. But I checked and he was alive. I took him to the closest doctor." He said. The four blinked. "I told the doctor to fix him up then I left coming to Junon. I didn't know if Rufus lived or not. I didn't tell the doctor who he was, since he was one of the haters of Shinra." He told them.

Red blinked a few times. "So you……saved my life?" He asked. Mayor Domino nodded. "Yes. I guess you could say that." He said. Tifa looked at Red with a smile. Red smiled faintly. He nodded to Mayor Domino. "Thank you." He said. Mayor Domino nodded. "Before we go any further. There is something I would like to ask." Tifa said. She turned her eyes onto Yuffie.

"Yuffie, why didn't you tell us who you were?" She asked. Yuffie cringed. "Because I didn't want to go home." She whimpered. Red nodded. "I knew who she was." He told them. Cid looked at him. "Why didn't you tell us?" He asked. Red shrugged. "It wasn't my secret to tell. Yuffie ran away from home because she was in an arranged marriage situation. She's only 16 and her father was trying to marry her off to a 30 year old duke." He said. Tifa made a disgusted face. "Ew. Now I understand." She said. Yuffie sighed.

"Sorry I didn't tell you. I just don't want to go home. Not yet anway." She said. Tifa smiled softly. "Don't worry, Yuffie. Your still welcome to journey with us." She said. Yuffie smiled. "Thanks." She said. Mayor Domino looked at Red. "So, Young Shinra. What are you planning to do?" He asked. Red looked at him. "We're heading to Midgar. To see my uncle." He said sitting up straight.

Mayor Domino smiled. "Well, that is a great idea. Your uncle has almost given up hope on you. The last time I heard, he's having quite the trouble with some of the council. They're trying to decide what to do with Shinra Inc. Either to shut it down or have someone else take over." He said. Red frowned deeply. "Shinra Inc will not be shut down. I will be returning to my family in Midgar and help them take care of the company." He said. Mayor Domino grinned. "Spoken like a true Shinra. I will provide a car for you and your companions." He said. Red smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mayor." He said. Mayor Domino nodded. "In the mean time, enjoy your stay here in Junon." He said.

Tifa stood. "Actually we must be on our way. We're running short of time. We must see Rupert Feine before next week. Next week is the Christmas Season. And Rufus wanted to surprise his uncle before then." She said. Mayor Domino nodded. "I see. Well then, by tomorrow, you will have your car and we will see to it that you reach Midgar. With escorts." He said. Everyone smiled. "Thank you." They all said at the same time.

They spent the day taking a tour through Junon. People were cheering when they saw Rufus. Several were so happy to see him. A few had asked for his autograph and he gave it. Red and never had so much fun in his life with his friends.

In Midgar, word had reached Rupert and his Turks. Mayor Domino had called him to let him know that Rufus was in Junon. And of course Rupert didn't believe him. He sat in his chair staring at a picture of his nephew. A sad look on his face. Vincent stepped into the room looking straight at him. "Word has it that Rufus is in Junon. Is it true?" He asked. Rupert looked up at him. "No. It's not true. It's just another Rufus wannabe, Vincent. My nephew is dead." He said. Vincent sighed taking a seat. "Rupert, you can't continue doing this to yourself. What if it really is Rufus this time?" He asked sounding hopeful.

Rupert closed his eyes trying to hide the tears. "Vincent, do not let these actors fool you too. You know as well as I do that Rufus is dead." He paused lowering his head. "When these people show up, send them away immediately. I told you once before. I will not see anymore young men pretending to be Rufus Shinra." He said. Vincent sighed and nodded. "Very well, my friend. I will do exactly what you have told me." He said. He stood and left. Rupert opened his eyes and looked back at Rufus' picture. He reached over and laid it face down so he couldn't see the boy he once loved.  



	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

Red was sitting in the back of the car with Tifa sitting next to him. Cid and Yuffie were arguing about who was sitting by the window. Of course, Yuffie ended up sitting there because she got motion sickness. They were arriving in Midgar now. There were people the streets cheering and watching the car go by. They all heard the rumors and wanted to see for themselves. Red was staring out the large city with awe. It was huge. He could see the large headquarters of Shinra Inc.

Tifa slowly took his hand making him look at her. "Nervous?" She asked. Red sighed and then smiled. "Yeah. I'm really hoping that I'm who you say I am. But…" He paused. Tifa tilted her head. "What if I can't convince the Turks?" He winced. "Would they shoot me?" He asked nervously. Tifa, Cid and Yuffie laughed. "No. They wouldn't shoot you. They would toss you out the door on your head but they wouldn't shoot you. Unless you meant to harm Rupert." Tifa said.

Red smiled softly. "I could never hurt my uncle. Not even if I could to, I wouldn't." He said. Tifa nodded closing her hand around Red's. Cid eyed their hands with a painful cringe. This was bad.

The car pulled up to the large building. The driver got out and pulled the door open for the four. "Welcome to Rupert Feine's home, Young Master Shinra." He said bowing to Red. Red nodded as he got out and looked the mansion over. It was a beautiful white home with light blue shutters. A beautiful garden in the front yard. Red was in awe. "Wow, it's so beautiful." Yuffie said getting out beside him. Tifa and Cid stepped up beside them.

Red spotted movement in the upper windows. A man was looking out before moving away. "Well this is it. Today is the day you find out who you are." Tifa whispered to the nervous looking Red. Red nodded. His mouth felt very dry. He didn't know what to say. Cid escorted them towards the door and knocked. Red was trying his hardest to stay calm. Yuffie took his hand feeling nervous herself.

Just then the door opened and there stood a young man with flaming red hair and untidy cloths. He was chewing on a toothpick. He looked the four over, his eyes pausing on Yuffie and he smirked. "Well, well. Aren't you too cute." He said in a cocky tone. Red, Tifa and Cid glanced at Yuffie who was staring wide eyed at him and blushing. She looked very dreamy. Red silently laughed knowing Yuffie already had a crush on the handsome red head. The red haired young man looked at Red and stared. "And you are?" he asked. Cid cleared his throat. "May I &8$#$ present Rufus Shinra." He said. The red haired Turk smirked and nodded.

"Oh, great. Not another one. All well. We haven't seen a Rufus Shinra in several days though. Come on in." He said. All four heisitated by looking at each other with confusion then slowly followed him in. The red haired man lead the four into the living room where there were two others.

A bald black man and a blonde young woman. They both looked up with surprise when they saw the guests. "Elena, go tell Vincent there's another one." The red haired man said. The blonde nodded looking nervous and hurried out.

The bald man stood. "Well then. Since we'll be testing you, I guess we'll need to introduce ourselves." He said. The red haired man stuffed his hands into his pocket. "The names Reno. This is my partner, Rude. The girl you just saw was Elena. Take a seat any where." He said. The four looked at each other then slowly did so.

"Excuse me for interrupting. But what did you mean another Rufus Shinra?" Tifa asked. Reno plopped down in a chair. "We've been seeing guys pretending to be Rufus Shinra for four years now." He said. Red's jaw fell. "People who is pretending to be Rufus?" He asked. Rude nodded. "It's growing tiresome and old." He said. Red looked at the ground. Tifa and Cid looked at each other with an "uh-oh" look on their faces. Reno swung his legs over the arms of the chair and folded his arms looking at the four. "Okay. So let's hear it. What's your names?" He asked dully. Tifa sat up straight. "My name is Tifa Lockhart." She said. Cid nodded pulling out a cigarette. "The name's Cid Highwind." He told him.

Reno nodded to him. "Don't light that. The boss doesn't like smoke in the house." He rolled his eyes. "Believe me. I've been lectured plenty of times by the Vinceman." He said. Cid nodded. Yuffie smiled shyly. "Hiya, I'm Yuffie." She said. Reno grinned at her and sent her a wink. "Hello, Yuffie." He said trying to sound seductive. Yuffie giggled while Red rolled his eyes. Tifa placed a hand on Red's shoulder. "And this is Ruf…." She was saying. Reno rolled his eyes so Red decided to interrupt. "Red." He said quickly. Everyone looked at him. "Huh?" Reno asked with a puzzled look on his face. Red nodded. "Call me Red." He told him. Reno slowly nodded. "Oh, okay. Red."

Just then another person walked in catching everyone's eyes. Red turned in his chair and froze. There stood the one called Vincent. And he knew he had seen him before. The memory flashed very quickly but stayed. Red remembered seeing him standing by Danielle Shinra smiling at her.

Vincent looked very peeved but halted in his footsteps when he looked at Red. His eyes stared straight into those blue ones. His mouth fell into an O shape with surprise. Vincent couldn't believe what he was seeing. This young man…he looked exactly like Rufus Shinra. He remembered every curve in the boy's face and this young man had the same curves. He slowly stepped forward squinting his eyes. Red stood slowly and faced him. The leader of the Turks looked Red over before returning to his official look.

"Well, I see we have another one." He said folding his hands behind his back. He stood taller. "So do tell me. Have you come to break Rupert's heart too? Pretending to be Rufus Shinra?" he asked sternly. Tifa opened her mouth to say something but Vincent silenced her with a look.

Red stood taller, his arms fell straight at his sides. "No. I have not. I've come to find out if I really am Rufus Shinra." He said calmly. Again something flickered in Vincent's eyes. He tilted his head with interest. "Really?" he asked. Red nodded once. "Yes." He said. Vincent narrowed his blue eyes at Red before nodding. "Sit down." He said. Red did so. Vincent took a seat in a love seat sitting tall and staring straight at the boy. "Tell me about yourself before we begin. Where are you parents? Your real parents. How old are you and where were you born?" he asked calmly.

The young man ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "I don't remember too well, Mr. Valentine. I am 21 years old and my parents are dead. They died 11 years ago in Nibelhiem. I was born in the Shinra Summer house near Kalm." He said clearly. Vincent nodded slowly. "Well let us begin with the questions." He looked at Rude who held out a photo album to Red. Red took it and placed it down. They began.

They continued with questions. Each time Red answered clearly and without hesitation. And each time Vincent looked even more surprised as well as the other three Turks. Tifa, Cid and Yuffie were smiling proudly and so was Red. Vincent asked questions about each person in the photos and Red answered. Then he questioned about the Shinra Family and about Rupert Feine. Again, Red answered correctly.

Finally Vincent was very close to smiling but kept his smile back. "I have only a few more questions now. Three at least." He said. Red nodded not losing one bit of composure. "Then ask away, Vinnie." He said smiling. Vincent smirked at that. He shook his head and continued to smile. "First hard question. What did you have as a pet when you were a boy?" He asked. Tifa and Cid looked at each other with wide eyes. They had forgotten about Rufus' pet panther. They both looked away trying to hide the upset looks on their faces.

Red squinted his eyes a little trying to remember. 'Did Tifa and Cid tell me about this?' He thought. He turned his head a little but kept his eyes on Vincent who was smiling. There was something about that smile. About that look in his eyes. It was like...Red's eyes lit up a little. 'He believes in me. He really thinks I'm Rufus Shinra.' He thought. And that's when the answer came to him.

"It was a black panther by the name of Dark Nation. I loved her so much. She was always with me. I was always scared during thunder storms. When I was, she would curl up beside me and let me bury my face in her side." Red said without missing a beat. Tifa and Cid turned back with surprise written on their faces. How the hell did Red know all that? Vincent smiled even more. "Very good, _Rufus_. Next question is more a reaction." He looked at Elena. "Bring her in." He said. Elena nodded. All four looked towards Elena as she opened the door and whistled. At that moment a big beautiful black panther stalked in. Red smiled seeing her. "Call her." Vincent said simply. Red looked at him and nodded. Tifa and Cid were holding their breath and Yuffie looked terrified.

Red stood and bent down to one knee. The black feline looked straight at him and stood stalk still. As if she had been caught doing something she was't suppose to. Her tail twitched though. "Dark Nation, come here, girl." Red said softly. The large feline rose it's head and perked up her ears. Her eyes still wide with interest. Red squinted his eyes a little. "Oh come on. You not going to make me do the baby talk, are you?" He asked. The feline just narrowed it's eyes and it's tail twitched. The others looked at each other. But Vincent was smirking.

"Fine. Come here, Darky. It's me. Rufie." Red said blushing a little. The panther began to purr very loudly and stalked over to Red rubbing against him. Everyone in the room smiled. Yuffie giggled. "Darky?" She asked raising her eyebrow. Red grinned at her as he rubbed Dark Nation's ears. "She loved being called that. Don't ask." He said.

Vincent laughed shaking his head. "Well, I see that Dark Nation likes you. But there is still one more question that I need to ask you." he said. Red nodded. "Alright. Bring it on." He said. Vincent cleared his throat and folded his hands together.

"This last one is very hard. And only two people besides myself knows the answer. Only Rupert Feine and the true Rufus Shinra knows the answer. How I know it is because Rupert told me." He told them all. He was now looking seriously at Red. "The night of Shinra Family's murders, something happened. You went back to your room for something. A music box I believe. However you were cornered by some of the mobs. How did you escape?" He asked. Again Tifa and Cid lowered their eyes. They had completely forgot this one.

Red was scratching Dark Nation's ears. His eyes back on the ground. He knew that Tifa and Cid hadn't told him about this one. But there was something nagging at his mind. He tilted his head and then closed his eyes trying to remember. Images began to slowly form in his mind. Everyone was watching him. Red then nodded slowly. "It was so dark that night. Even in the house. We were trapped in my room. There was no way out. Not even out my window. It was a twenty foot drop and we would have broken our legs if we jumped."

He paused. "There was a girl that night. She opened up the wall. I didn't even know that there was a secret door there. She came out and made us go in. It went through to the servent's quarters and her father was waiting for us." He said. Tifa was staring wide eyed at Red. Disbelief in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Red opened his eyes and they grew wide.

"She told us her name but...I can't remember what it was." he said. He strained to remember then slowly looked up. "Tifa." He whispered. He turned to look at Tifa but she had gotten up and left the room. Yuffie blinked a few times. Was Red saying what she thought he was saying.

Vincent smiled softly. If Red didn't know any better, there were light tears in the Turks' eyes. He cleared his throat and stood. Cid nodded. "Are you impressed with our Rufus?" He asked smirking. Vincent looked at him. "I'd have to say so. He answered every question correctly. And Dark Nation seems to know Rufus. She never really reacted like that to strangers or guests. And he knew how he escaped. Like I've said only the true Rufus Shinra knows that answer. And if he knows that, he is Rufus Shinra." he said. Red stood smiling brightly.

Yuffie jumped up and hugged him. "Yeah! You have a family, Red! You know who you are now!" She said happily. Cid pumped his fists into the air grinning. "Now we just get to see your uncle!" He said happily. The Turks frowned again and looked at each other. Vincent looked down. "Actually I'm afraid that's not possible." he said. Red frowned looking at him. "What? Why?" He asked.

The Leader of the Turks sighed. "I'm afraid we've been having trouble lately. There has been alot of young men pretending to be Rufus. Rupert just got tired of it. He refuses to see any more boys." He said. Red looked horrified. "But I have to see him, Vince. I have to see my uncle. I've waited so long to see my family." He said. Vincent eyed him then tilted his head.

"Tell me, Rufus. Did you come for the company or to see your uncle? It's not for the money is it?" He asked. Red shook his head. "Vincent, I only want my family. I couldn't care less about money." He said honestly. Vincent smiled. "Just like that boy I knew." He said. Red ran his hand through his hair again. "Please, Vincent. Is there anything you can do?" He asked. Vincent looked down at the ground turning away. Then he looked up at the ceiling as if trying to see something. He smiled and turned back. "Yes. There is one thing I can think of. Tomorrow night is the Loveless play. Rupert loves that play. It helps take things off his mind. We will be there." He said.

Red nodded slowly. "Okay. Sounds good." He said catching on Vincent's drift. Vincent smiled. "We have a lot to talk about, Rufus. It's good to see you again." He said. Red smiled back. He nodded. "It's good to see you too, Vincent." He said. Vincent looked at the other Turks. "We must be prepared for tomorrow." He said. The Turks nodded. Cid turned and hurried out to go find Tifa and tell her the good news. Red and Yuffie stayed to talk with the Turks and Vincent.

Tifa was staring off in the garden with a distant look on her face. She couldn't believe what she had heard in there. Her arms were folded across her stomach and she kicked stones. Cid hurried up. "$&#$! We did it, Tifa! We did it!" He said happily. "We're going to see Rupert Feine tonight at Loveless! We're going to be rich!" He began to do a victory dance.

The young girl smiled at her friend's dancing. "I wish Shera was here to see that." She said. Cid laughed. "Yeah, same here." He said happily. Tifa frowned and looked away. "Cid……I don't want the money anymore." She said. Cid stopped immediately. "What?" He asked. He stepped closer to the sad looking girl. "Are you feeling alright, Tifa? It's a million gil." He said. Tifa sighed looking away. "I know but…." She stopped when Red came out smiling.

He hurried forward. "Thank you two so much for helping me find my family! You never doubted who I was, did you? Not for a second. You kept telling me that I was who I was and I am." He said happily. He didn't stop until he was right there next to Tifa. Then he did something that surprised both Tifa and Cid. He pulled Tifa into a small hug then kissed her cheek softly. He pulled away and smiled at Tifa before turning back and hurrying back into the house.

Tifa stared with wide eyes and her mouth fell wide open. She softly reached up and touched the cheek Red kissed. She ran her finger along her cheek and stared off looking distant again. Cid frowned and folded his arms. "Oh, this is sad." He said. Tifa looked at him. "Huh? What is?" She asked. Cid shook his head. "Life is so hard on everyone. You find the right guy, then you lose him." He said. Tifa stared at him.

Cid sighed. "Tifa, what are you going to do once we take him to Rupert? Your leaving right?" He asked. Tifa finally understood and lowered her head. "Yes, Cid. I am leaving. But what could ever happen between me and Red, huh? He's a rich guy, the heir of Shinra Inc. And me? I'm just a lowly commoner." She said. She turned away and walked towards the house. Cid placed his hand on his belt and ran a hand down his face. "Oh no. She's heart broken already." He whispered. He shook his head.

That night, Vincent had decided to take the guests out for the night. Reno volunteered to go with them just so that he could play escort for Yuffie. They went to a high ranking place for new out fits to wear the next night. Then they took a walk down the street and Vincent told them all about Midgar City. A flower lady gave them all flowers. Red took a pretty red flower and stuck it in Tifa's hair making her blush. Vincent saw them and smirked. He knew that there was something going on between his best friend's nephew and the lovely young lady. He decided to take them out dancing to a high class night club where they had a great time. Then they took a small chocobo carriage ride. They got to see a lot.

Finally they returned back to the house and got settled into their rooms. Vincent was talking to Red while he was settling in bed and looking at pictures again. Vincent was pulling the curtains closed. "So, that's sure a pretty girl you got there." He said. Red looked up. "Huh?" He asked. Vincent smiled over at him. "Your girlfriend, Tifa. She's very pretty." He said.

Red felt his cheeks heat up. "Oh, Tif? She's not my girlfriend. We're just friends. She helped me remember a lot of things." He said. Vincent looked at him. "Oh really?" He asked skeptically. Red nodded. "Really." He said. Vincent went over and sat down next to Red. "Red, is that what they call you?" He asked. Red nodded slowly.

"Ever since the orphanage. The kids called me Red because of my hair." He said. Vincent nodded. "I know you are Rufus, Red. I can see it by looking you right in the eyes. I remember those eyes so well. They were definitely your mother's." he said. Red smiled. "You loved her, didn't you?" He asked. Vincent looked away not wanting to go there.

"Tell me the truth, Vince. You were in love with my mother. You just couldn't have her because……" Red was saying. Vincent nodded. "Because she was engaged to your father. Yes." He said. Red smiled. "I can't remember everything, Vincent. Really I can't. It's because of that fall from the train. When we were trying to get away." He said. Vincent looked at him. More like stared seriously. He shook his head. "How did you ever survive that fall? I swear you had died when you hit those tracks. It hurt so deeply to watch you fall like that and never get up." He said. Red shrugged. "Hard head I guess. I've got a scar from it." He said touching the small silver scar on his temple.

Vincent nodded with a small smile. "Red, Rufus, what ever your name is. You are so lucky to have a friend like Tifa. Maybe she is more than a friend and you don't even realize it." He said. Red watched him. Vincent smiled again and patted his shoulder. "Get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." He said standing and moving towards the door. Red sat up straighter. "Vincent? Where is my uncle?" He asked. Vincent stopped at the door and didn't turn around.

"He's back in the office. He practically lives there now. He slowly turned to look at Red. "He's been very busy for the past 11 years, Rufus. He never takes a break anymore." He said. Red stared at him. Vincent gave him a weak smile and left the room. Red laid back and stared up the ceiling. "Don't worry, uncle. I'm here. I'll help you with everything." He silently promised. He fell asleep.

Never knowing that they were there too, Hojo was looking in the black orb again. Sephiroth was staring out the window of the building. He was really starting to get annoyed with Hojo and his crazy obession with killing all the Shinras. He had tried and tried again to convince him that they should just let Rufus Shinra be. But Hojo never listened. He was looking in the orb which was shining brightly. "We are much closer to him, are we not?" he asked stroking it absentmindedly. The orb shone again and shivered. Hojo smirked. "Yes. You are very excited. You are ready to finish this blasted curse." He said softly.

Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes. That was getting very annoying how he would talk to the orb as if it was a child. He had never did that to Sephiroth and he was his son for Hyne's sake. "Soon, my pets. Soon Rufus Shinra will die. And we will reign terror upon the world of Gaia." Hojo hissed placing the orb back into it's little box. Sephiroth turned to look back out at the lights. He sighed and shook his head.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

The next night approached slowly. Red was too excited for his own good. He couldn't wait to see Rupert Feine. To talk to him. To find out if he believed him. He had decided he wanted to go out for a while. So Vincent had Reno go with him. The two walked down the street together looking at stuff and talking.

"So that girl, Yuffie…She's like your sister?" He asked. Red looked at the red head. "Yes. I like think of her like that. Why?" He asked. Reno cleared his throat and shook his head. "Uh, nothing." He said. Red continued to look at him then smirked. "Just admit it. You want to go out with her." He said. Reno groaned. "Yeah, sort of. I mean, she's really cute and all. Never saw a girl that cute before." He said.

Red nodded. "What about Elena? She's kind of cute." He asked. Reno snorted and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, she's cute but she's always nervous. Always stuttering. And she's too nice. Not to mention, she's engaged to Rude." He said smirking back. Red laughed. "Ah, now I see the problem." He said.

Reno nodded. "Anyway, your friend, Yuffie. What's she like anyway?" He asked. Red shrugged. "She's nice. She's got a major wild streak. She's not like some of the other girls. She's not afraid to get her hands dirty. She can kick butt at wrestling, I'll tell you that." He said smiling. Reno was grinning as he looked forward. "She already sounds like my kind of girl." He said. Red laughed. "Well, I'm going to warn you. Break her heart and I'll……" He was saying. Reno nodded waving a hand. "I know, I know. I've actually heard that line before. Break her heart and I'll break your leg." He said. Red smirked evilly.

"No, actually I was going to say I'll break every bone in your body then feed you to Dark Nation." He said. Reno frowned and paled. "Okay. Now that one has got my attention." He said. Red laughed patting Reno's back.

Later that night they were getting ready. Tifa was standing with Cid out side the house. She was wearing a long over coat over her dress so that no one could see what it looked like. Her hair was up in a elegant bun. Cid was dressed in his original outfit. Reno had a date with Yuffie, with Red's permission of course. Now they were just waiting on Red.

As they waited, Tifa was biting her nails. And Cid noticed. "You must be very nervous tonight." He said. Tifa looked at him. "Huh? Why do you say that?" She asked. Cid grabbed her hand and slowly put away from her mouth. "You only bite your nails when your very nervous or scared, Tifa. Remember, you've been living with me and Shera for eight years. I would know. So what's up?" He asked leaning against the car. Tifa looked away. Cid nodded slowly. "It's about Red, isn't it? You don't think Rupert Feine will believe that he is Rufus Shinra. It's not like he is. But we did such a good job on Red that he will think he is his nephew." He said. Tifa sighed. "He is, Cid." She said.

Cid nodded. "Of course he is. Your right. We can't let anyone ($$$#$ hear us say something like that." He said. Tifa spun around looking at him. "Cid!" The pilot jumped at her yelling. Tifa shook her head again. "He is Rufus Shinra. He's not just Red. He really is Rufus Shinra. The real one. He's the real deal." She said softly. Cid stared at her. "What makes you say that?" He asked. Tifa lowered her head. "There was one other person that night who knew how Rufus and his uncle escaped. That little girl that saved his life." She looked at him.

"I was that little girl, Cid. It was me who saved their lives." She said. Cid stared with wider eyes and his mouth fell open that his lit death stick fell. "Your sure?" He asked. Tifa nodded. "How would I have that music box of Rufus' then?" She asked digging into her pocket and pulled out the little metal box. Cid placed his hands on his head and gripped his hair. "Oh my (#$#$$# Hyne! We found the real Rufus!" He gasped. He turned around and placed his head against the car. Then he spun back to look at Tifa, who was putting the box back into her pocket. "You have to tell him the truth, Tifa. You tell him the truth of what we were doing. If he found out that……" He was saying.

Tifa shook her head quickly. "No! If we told him that we were using him to get that reward money, he would be so mad. He would never want to talk to us again. He would hate us." She said. Cid continued to stare at her. He stepped forward and took her face into his hands softly leaning closer. "You love him, Tifa. You owe him the truth. He loves you too. You have to tell him that." He said. Tifa shook her head with tears filling her eyes. "It doesn't matter anymore, Cid. He's something higher than me. I'm nothing but a commoner. What chance do I have with that? Nothing. I can't tell him the truth." She said. "Tell who the truth?" Someone asked.

Here came Red. He was walking down the porch in his outfit. Tifa and Cid looked over at him and froze. Red was wearing a white outfit. White pants and trench coat. Under it was a black turtleneck shirt. A red rose in the left breast pocket. He looked very good. He was smiling at them. Tifa smiled seeing him. She pulled away from Cid looking at him. Red stepped up to them. He looked at Tifa then gracefully bowed to her. Tifa couldn't help but laugh silently and curtsied. "You look great, Rufus." She said. Red smiled. "So do you, Tifa. Shall we?" He asked offering his arm. Tifa looked at the grinning Cid who opened the door for them. She took Red's arm and they climbed in.

They arrived at the Midgar Opera House where the Loveless was playing. Cid opened the door for Red and Tifa. They stepped out together and started for the door, all three of them. Inside the doors, a man took their coats and Red got to see what Tifa was wearing. It was a midnight blue gown with a white shawl. She looked so beautiful. He smiled.

"You are so beautiful, Tifa. Did you know that?" he asked offering his arm. Tifa blushed and took his arm. "Thank you, Red. You look very handsome yourself." She said. Cid was grinning behind them. 'This is so nice.' He thought.

They found their seats in one of the top boxes where the richest folks usually sat. It was a full house that night too. There were so many people in the Opera House. As the three began to sit down, they did catch some attention. Some people were looking at Red. "Who is that?" Some whispered. "He's so handsome." Others said. "Doesn't he look familiar?"

But the three ignored the stares and sat down in the top box. The play began and everyone's attention went to the stage. Red was watching with awe. He had always wanted to see the Loveless Play. He had heard it was a great play. Tifa was busy looking through opera glasses in the audience when she touched Red's arm getting his attention.

"Take a look. There's your uncle." She said. Red took the glasses and looked through them where she was pointing. Through the glasses he saw the strawberry blonde man wearing a dark outfit and a white handkerchief in the breast pocket. Behind him was Vincent who was looking towards Red's box. When he noticed that Red was looking towards them he smiled and gave a quick wave. Red smiled breathlessly. Seeing Rupert Feine brought memories. He knew him alright. He remembered seeing a smile on the man's face. "He looks just like me." He said bringing down the glasses. Tifa smiled with a nod. "Yes. He does." She said softly and took his hand. He looked at her then smiled. They intertwined their hands together and watched the play go on.

Finally the intermission came and the lights turned on. People all around them stood to stretch or go use the restroom. Tifa stood dragging Red with. "Come on. It's time to go see your uncle." She said. Red nodded smiled and followed her. Cid followed behind. The three of them walked down the hall right to Rupert's private box. There were two unknown Turks standing guard. They both held up hands for them to stop. "Excuse me. But can we help you?" One asked. Cid stepped forward. "We wish to speak to Rupert Feine." He said formally. Tifa and Red were a little surprised that he could speak so formally like that. The guards looked at each other then spoke into a hidden comlink in their collars. 

After a small minute, the first Turk nodded. "One may enter at the moment." He said. Tifa nodded taking her arm from Red's. "I will." She said softly. She looked at Red. "Wait here. I think it's best if I told Rupert about you. Most likely he'll be shocked." She said. Red nodded with Cid. The two guards escorted her in.

Red took a deep breath. Cid looked at him. "You nervous?" He asked. Red nodded. "Yeah. Scared more like it." He admitted. Cid smiled. "Don't be, Red. Your Rufus Shinra. The real Rufus Shinra. Your uncle will know who you are once he sees you." He said. Red smiled. "I'm really grateful. To you and Tifa. If it wasn't for you both, I wouldn't know who I was." He said. Cid smiled. "I know." He said softly.

Tifa stepped into the room with the two guards standing behind her. Vincent turned around and smiled. "Hello, miss. What can I do for you?" He asked as if he didn't know who she was. Tifa's eyes were on Rupert. She was breathing uneasily. Vincent could see her fear and smiled warmly at her to let her know she was doing fine. Tifa smiled and stood taller. "I wish for an audience with Mr. Rupert Feine." She said softly. Rupert's head turned a little but he didn't turn completely around. Vincent kept on smiling. "I see. And may I ask why do you seek an audience with my good friend, Mr. Feine?" He asked casually. Tifa smiled and took a deep breath. "I wish to inform him that I have found the heir of Shinra Inc., Rufus Shinra. Rupert Feine's loving nephew." She said softly. Vincent placed a surprised look on his face. "Rufus Shinra?" He asked. Tifa nodded. "Yes." She said smiling.

There was a short harsh laugh from Rupert and he stood. He slowly turned around and faced Tifa. Tifa had to hold in her gasp. Rupert looked exactly like Red. Only older. He had a little gray in his hair. "Miss, what is your name?" He asked. He even sounded like Red. Tifa returned to her proper look.

"My name is Tifa Lockhart, sir." She said. Rupert stepped around the chairs and up to Tifa looking straight at her. He looked very serious. "Miss Lockhart, I am grateful for your find. But your Rufus Shinra is not mine. My nephew is dead. I saw him die. I watched my nephew die on the railroad tracks. He was caught in those mobs years ago." He said his voice turning hard. Tifa's mouth fell a little but she tried to keep her composure. "Sir, I swear to you that this is Rufus Shinra. The real Rufus Shinra. He as so much knowledge of you and his family." She said. Rupert nodded. "I believe that. That is because I know who you are, Tifa Lockhart." He said.

Tifa blinked. "What do you mean?" She asked. Rupert's eyes sparkled with angry tears. "I had heard a great deal about you and Cid Highwind. I have heard word of what you did. Having try outs of Rufus Shinras. Teaching them everything about my nephew. Telling them what to say or do. Just for the money I had offered. One Million Gil., Miss Lockhart. That is all you want. You are like every other con artist I have met. Your Rufus Shinra is not my nephew." He said.

Outside the slightly open door, Red was hearing every word. He looked shocked. His mouth open and his eyes wide. He slowly looked at Cid who refused to meet his gaze and Red knew. That what Rupert Feine was saying was true. Tifa and Cid were using him to get the reward money.

Tifa shook her head. "No, Mr. Feine. I don't care for the money. Please, if you would just look at him." She said starting to panic. Rupert turned away and went back to his seat. "No! No more! I will not see anymore Rufus Shinras. My heart is broken enough! Please leave." He told her looking forward. Tifa started forward but Vincent caught her arm looking pained. "Please, Tifa. Just do as he says." He whispered, his voice cracked. Tifa yanked away and hurried to Rupert bending down beside him.

"Please, Rupert. Red has come a long way to see you. Please just look at him, talk to him. See for yourself." She said with tears in her eyes. Rupert wouldn't look at her. "How much pain are you willing to inflict on me for that money, Miss Lockhart? I'm growing tired of being lied to. My heart is breaking because of every word you are saying as it is. Please remove her, Vincent." He said turning his head away.

Vincent slowly stepped forward and gently took Tifa's arm. Tifa looked like she was going to cry. She slowly stood. She looked at Vincent. "Vincent, he is Rufus!" She cried out. Vincent nodded softly. "I know." He whispered.

He lead her to the door. "Let me speak to Rupert. Maybe I can convince him." He whispered to her. Tifa shivered with tears and she nodded. She left the box. After she did, Vincent closed the door and looked at Rupert.

Tifa looked at straight at Red who stared right back at her with a pained look on his face. He opened to say something but no words would come out. He shook his head and turned heel storming away. Tifa winced and hurried after him with Cid behind her. "Rufus! Wait!" She called after him. Red didn't slow down. He stormed down the stairs towards the door until Tifa grabbed his hand and stopped him.

Red stopped and looked at her with red eyes full of tears. "Is it true, Tifa? You were using me to get that money?" He asked very calmly. Tifa had tears running down her cheeks. She shook her head. "It started out like that. But now it's not about the money! You are Rufus Shinra!" She cried.

Red shook his head looking very angry. "No! I am not Rufus Shinra! You lied to me, Tifa. How could you do that! You were trying to cause pain to that poor man up there just for his money! And what's worst? I believed you. I thought I was someone special. I thought I had a family. But you know what? I don't. I am an orphan. A nobody just like what Heidigger said." He said coolly. Tifa stared at him. "No your not. When you told Vincent about how you escaped with your uncle………" She was saying. Red shook his head violently. "No! Stop lying, Tifa! I am not Rufus Shinra!" He turned and stormed out the doors. Tifa hurried after.

"Rufus! Please! You have to listen to me! You are him! You are Rufus Shinra!" She cried grabbing his hand again. Red yanked away hard that she fell back. Luckily Cid was right behind her and caught her. Some people stared with wide eyes and gasped. Some began hissing angrily about him. Red turned around looking at her again. He looked so angry. A hateful look in his eyes. "Don't." He said in a hard tone. "Just leave me alone, Tifa. You've done enough pain to both me and Rupert Feine." He turned and walked away only to stop for a second.

He turned around again and looked at the upset Tifa. "You want to know something, Tifa. I thought you loved me. I loved you from the moment I saw you. But now, seeing that you were only using me, you don't love me." He said then turned and walked away. Tifa broke down in Cid's arms. That had hurt so badly to hear him say that. He had told her he loved her. And she wanted to tell him that she loved him too but the words couldn't come out. Cid hugged her with his head lowered. He shook his head. "I should have never let them dance." He whispered.

Back in the private box, Rupert was staring hard at the play before him. Vincent was watching him. He could sense the anger and sadness in his friend. He shook his head. Turning to the other guards he waved his hand. "Leave us." He said. The guards nodded and left the box. Rupert lifted his head to look at Vincent who sat down next to him looking at his friend.

"Rupert, you have to stop this. I've seen that boy Miss Lockhart was talking about. I know those eyes he has in his head. It's him." Vincent said. Rupert looked away again. "Vincent, please spare my heart. Don't tell me you actually believe that con artist." He said. Vincent shook his head. "She may be a con but that boy she found is not. He answered all the questions I gave him. Dark Nation knew him. She actually let him touch her. She doesn't even let me touch her and she's known me all her life. He knew about the secret door that you escaped through." He said. Rupert didn't say anything.

But the look on his face told Vincent that he was way too surprised. "You must see this boy yourself. Please, my friend. Have I ever lied to you?" He asked. Rupert tilted his head but didn't look at him. "Please, Vincent. Enough is enough. The show is continuing and I would like to watch the rest." He said and that meant he was done talking. Vincent nodded slowly. "Your making a mistake, Rupert. A very big mistake." he stood and left the box.

Vincent hurried down to the lobby where he spotted Tifa and Cid sitting on the bench. Tifa was crying her eyes out into a tissue. Cid's arm around her trying to comfort her. The Turk hurried up to them surprising them that he would want to talk to them. "He doesn't believe me. But I know a way that will make him believe. He's not going to like it but there's no other way." Vincent said. Tifa sat up straighter. "What?" She asked. Vincent nodded. "We're going to take Rupert to Rufus even if he likes it or not."


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey, there. It's been awhile since I last updated this story. Sorry. Anyway, I'm going to do a quick shout out. **

**Kit Thespian-The final confrontation is now. Red and Rupert are going to have a nice long talk in this chapter. As for Aeris, she was in one of the earlier chapters if you don't remember. But she'll also have another part in the next chapter and at the very end. Don't worry. You'll get to see her again.**

**lilalou-I don't mind at all how you make your reviews. Elegant, funny, just plain, or whatever. I just like getting reviews. And I'm glad your enjoying this story. If you haven't yet, feel free to read my other stories. They're just as nice.**

**Anywho, lets continue on with the story. This is the one we've all been waiting for. Red finds out his true identity. **

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Chapter 10.**

Tifa and Cid were standing in the shadows near Rupert's car, just waiting for them to come out. Cid was dressed as a chauffeur, while the real one was slumped against a tree with a lump on his head and a bruise under his eye. Tifa was wearing pants and a short sleeved white shirt with her hair pulled back into it's fishtail style. They were just getting even more impatient when Rupert and his guards were walking down the stairs. Vincent was right behind him looking very serious. He knew that Rupert would hate him for this. But it was for the best. Tifa and Cid looked at each other and nodded. They hurried around the car and Tifa climbed in without the others seeing them. Only Vincent. Cid hurried to open the door for Rupert and his body guards with his head down so that Rupert couldn't see his face.

Vincent stopped letting the two body guards bump into him and they stopped as well thinking he saw something that wasn't right. But they got a big surprise when he turned and smashed his fists into their faces knocking them out instantly. They fell to the ground unconscious. Vincent turned and hurried to the car climbing in beside Rupert who didn't notice that the other two were on the ground. Cid ran around the car and jumped in. He started the engine and roared down the street. Rupert was a little surprised that the car was going so fast. "What the blooming hell? Tseng! Slow down! We'll crash if you continue to go so fast!" He said. Tifa turned around in the front seat and looked at him. "We're not your Turks and we're not going to slow down until you've listened to us!" She said angrily. Rupert's eyes went wide as he realized what was going on. "You! Stop this car right now!" he yelled. Cid tore the hat off and tossed it out the window. "No &#&$ way, ya bimbo! Your going to &$$$$ listen to us!" He exclaimed. Rupert looked outraged. He looked at Vincent who looked back. "Vincent!" He said. Vincent smiled innocently. "Sorry, Rupert. But your going to listen to them. You have to." He said. Rupert looked shocked and betrayed. "Vincent, your apart of this?" He asked stunned. Vincent looked thoughtful. "Actually it was my idea." he said. Rupert stared flabbergasted at him.

The car pulled up to Rupert's house and parked. Cid and Tifa turned around to look at him. Rupert went for the other door to get out but Vincent grabbed his arm softly. "No, Rupert. Stay and listen." He said. Rupert looked at him. "Vincent, I thought you were my friend. But you've kidnapped me. Do you know how serious this is?" He demanded. Vincent smirked. "We brought you home, didn't we?" He asked nodding to the window.

Rupert looked out the window with surprise. Tifa blew out a sigh. "Please don't be afraid, Mr. Feine. But there was no other way we could do this." She said. Rupert gave her a look. "I could have you arrested for this, Miss Lockhart." he said. Tifa nodded. "I know and I don't care. But I do care if you don't see Rufus." She said. Rupert turned his head away. He wasn't going to listen. But Tifa had a different approach in getting his attention. She thrust out her hand showing what was in it. The music box.

"Do you recognize this?" She asked. Rupert looked at it then his jaw fell. His eyes wide. "Rufus' music box. But...how did..." He frowned. "You could have found it. It was knocked out of his hand that night." He said stubbornly. Tifa nodded. "Your right. I did find it. It was lying right next to me when I woke up the very next morning. When my father was killed saving you and Rufus. He drove you to the train station then died when the mobs shot him." She said seriously. Rupert stared at her with shock. Tifa nodded with tears filling her eyes again. "I was that little girl, Rupert Feine. I helped you escape. With Rufus. I found this box." She paused. "And I found your nephew."

Rupert continued to stare at her with surprise. He couldn't find anything to say. "Your right about me, Mr. Feine. It was a lie. I did try to find a fake Rufus to get your money. My intentions were dirty. Unclean. I am a liar. I am a crook and a thief and every thing that means bad." Tifa said weakly. "But Red is not. I lied to him too. I made him think he was something special. Until tonight. When he found out that Cid and I lied to him. But you know what?" Rupert looked her right in the eye. Her tear-filled eyes. "I was never more right. Red is young man who is looking for his family. He looks just like you. I'm not kidding around. He's like a clone of you. He has strawberry blonde hair like yours. He has your blue eyes. Your face. I thought it was perfect. I thought I found a way to fool you. Just to get your money. But the money does not matter to me anymore. I couldn't care less about it. What I want, is to see him reunited with his true family. The family has dreamed so long for. He does not care about your money either. He does not care for the company. He just wants to find his family. The only family he has left."

Tifa started to break down again. Her face was red from the pain and holding back the tears which she couldn't. "Please, Rupert. Go see him. And I swear, if you at least just look at him, I will disappear and never return again. You will never have to pay me that money. Or see my ugly lying face again." She told him.

Rupert didn't say anything but stared at her. Tifa slowly pointed out the window towards the house. "He's in there. If you don't go and see him right now, he will walk out and never look back. You will never find out the truth and neither will he. He hates me, Rupert, for lying to you and him. I don't blame him. I could never blame him." She said softly. Rupert slowly looked towards the house at the window with the lights on. He could see a shadow moving around in the room. He slowly reached for the door pausing to look at Tifa again then looked at the music box. He took it from her and got out. Walking straight for the house. All three, Tifa, Cid, and Vincent watched from the car.

Red was in the room he stayed in packing his things. A bottle of vodka on the dresser proving he had been drinking away his guilt and pain. Yuffie was standing against the closed door. Tears flowing down her face. "Please, Red. Don't go." She begged. Red shoved his cloths into the bag. "I have to, Yuffie! I can't stay here. This isn't my home. I have no home." He said. Yuffie continued to cry as she nodded. "Okay. Let me pack my things and..." She was saying. Red spun around pointing at her. His face a little red. "No!" He said sharply. Yuffie looked at him. "What?" She asked. Red shook his head. "No, your not going with me. You are going to stay here with them. You can't come with me, Yuffie. I can't offer you anything." he said weakly.

Yuffie stared at him with deep grief. "I want to go with you, Red. Your like my brother. You promised." She said. Red fell onto the bed and slowly slide down to the floor covering his head with his hands and arms. "Yuffie, I don't have a family to share with you. But you have a guy here in this house, Reno, who loves you even if he just met you. I want you to stay here to be happy. You will forget me after a week." He said. Yuffie rushed over to him and bent down next to him wrapping her arms around him. He did the same. "But I love you, Red. Your like the brother I've never had. Please stay with me." She begged.

Red wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I will never forget you, Kid. And I love you too but you can't come with. I have no home, no family. I thought I did but I don't." he said. Yuffie burst into heavy tears. Red placed his face against the top of her head still holding her close.

Just then there was a soft knock on the door. Red and Yuffie looked at the door thinking it may have been Tifa and Cid. "Go away, Tifa, Cid! I do not want to talk to you!" Red said pushing himself up. Yuffie just sat there looking at the ground. Red went back to shoving his things into his bag. He took off his jacket and threw it into a chair. But stopped when he heard the door slowly open. He just stood there glaring at the wall not looking at whoever entered. Yuffie did look up and her jaw nearly hit the ground. Red just continued to glare at the wall. "Tifa or Cid, which ever one of you, I do not want to speak to you or see you. Please leave." He said trying to sound calm. There was a small chuckle. "Mad at them too, huh?" The soft male voice asked. Red blinked and spun to look at who it was. He froze seeing Rupert Feine. Rupert was just standing there looking back at Red. His eyes were full of surprise and disbelief. He looked rather calm though.

Red felt like he was going to faint. He shook his head backing away. Yuffie pushed herself to her feet. "Uh...I think I'll just leave the room now." She said softly and hurried towards the door. Rupert stepped aside to let her pass before looking back at Red. He studied the young man before him with great interest. He tilted his head. "Boy, who are you?" He asked looking serious. Red backed away again until he fell into the squishy chair. He covered his face with his hands. "I wish I knew. I don't want to trick you or hurt you, Mr. Feine. I don't." He said weakly. Rupert stepped into the room and closed the door. He walked forward dragging another chair with him and sat in front of Red. He tilted his head looking at him the reached out taking his hands away from his face. Red looked up at him.

"What is your name?" The older man asked. Red shook his head and lowered his gaze. "I don't know. They called me Red in the orphanage. So I stuck with it." He told him. Rupert slowly nodded. "Who's your parents?" He asked even more softly almost like a whisper. Red shook his head again. "I don't know. They died 11 years ago that's all I know." He paused. "I think my mother's name was Dani. It was short for something. I don't think I ever cared about my father. I never really saw him." he said. Rupert squinted his eyes.

He dropped his hands and then reached into his pocket taking out the music box. "Tifa gave me this. Would you care to explain?" he asked. Red looked at it. "I can't explain it. It's something lost. I'm so confused. I feel like it's apart of me but...I don't know." he said. Rupert looked at it then nodded. "When was the first time you ever saw it?" He asked. Red stared at the music box trying to think. "I first saw it on the ship. When..." He stopped when a flash flew across his mind. His eyes widen. "No. That's not right. I've seen it before that. I saw it..." He stopped staring at it trying to remember. In his mind he saw it in the hands of Rupert Feine. A warm smiling Rupert. He was holding it out to a boy. To him. It was a birthday present. Rupert said not one word but stared at Red. "I saw it eleven years ago. On my birthday. My father was throwing a party. It wasn't mine. It was for...his company." Red said. His eyes lit up even more. "Shinra Inc." He whispered. "You...you gave it to me."

Rupert's mouth fell a little. "Anyone could have told you that, Red. You could be a fraud trying to get my money. Just like everyone else." He said. Red shook his head. "I don't care about money. I never did. I just want to know where I belong." He said. Rupert tilted his head. "So you want to know where you belong, huh? Do you belong with the rich folk? Or with the commoners...the riffraff?" He asked. Red looked at him in the eye. "Someone once told me to never call them that. They are people just like you." He said. A smile grew on Rupert's face. "That's true. They are people just like me. And you." He said. His eyes lowered when he caught sight of something. Something around Red's neck. His eyes narrowed with confusion. "What's that?" He asked.

Red reached up and touched the chain under his shirt. He slowly pulled it out and looked at it. Rupert's eyes went wider at the sight of it. It was the key. "Where did you get that?" He asked. Red studied it. "I've always had it. Since I could remember." He said. Rupert held out his hand. "May I?" He asked. Red nodded and took it off and handed it him. Rupert studied it. "This is the reason why I came to Midgar. It's because it says Together in Midgar. So I thought this was where I could find my family." Red told him. Rupert looked at him with a look. "This...it belong to my nephew. To my Rufus." He said. Red stared at the key. Then he took it softly then the music box. Studying both he slowly put the key into the keyhole and began to wind it. Rupert's eyes grew wide. The music box opened and began to play the song. The same song that always haunted Red's dreams. "That song...it's my mother's lullaby." He said. Rupert's eyes filled with tears. "It was my sister's song. Danielle." He said. Red looked at him. He shook his head. He remembered the words. "Hear this song, and remember. Soon you'll be, home with me." He whispered softly. Rupert met his eyes. "Once upon a December." He said along with Red. Both of their voices cracked.

Rupert smiled. "Oh my Hyne. Rufus, it is you." He said. Red smiled back. They threw their arms around each other embraced tightly. "Uncle Rupert, I've found you at last." He cried. The search was over. They had finally found each other. "Your home at last, Rufus. And I am never going to let you go again." Rupert said. Red, no Rufus buried his head into his uncle's shoulder. "I'm never going to leave, Uncle Rupert." he said happily. They couldn't let go. They sat there like that for a while.

Outside, watching from the window, Tifa smiled seeing the two through the window. Cid smiled along with Vincent. "They've found each other at last." The Turk said softly. Tifa then frowned and lowered her head. "My deed is done." She whispered. She turned and walked down the street. Cid and Vincent turned around. "Tifa?" They both called out. "Teef, where are you going?" Cid asked. Tifa didn't turn back. She just kept walking. Cid sighed and lowered his head. "She's leaving." He whispered. Vincent frowned and shook his head.

From across the street on the next house, Sephiroth watched Red and his uncle through the window. He was full of emotion. He had never seen something like this. This...love. He sighed emotionally. A single tear fell from the green orb he called an eye. "That is perfect." He whispered. He lowered his head and turned away. "He's going to be mad." He vanished into black smoke.

That night, Rufus was laid out on Rupert's bed looking at pictures with his uncle. They were laughing together. Dark Nation was lying at the foot of the bed purring loudly. Rupert was showing him some drawings that Rufus had done when he was younger. "I remember this one." He said holding up a drawing of a fat man. Rupert laughed. "So do I. That was the picture of your father." He said. Rufus laughed with him. "Yeah, father told me it was horrible. He said it looked like a big fat pig." His eyes lit up. "He was right. But it was true." he said. Rupert sighed happily. He looked his nephew over.

"My, you have grown, Rufus. Your such a handsome young man now. Your mother would be proud." He said. Rufus nodded sadly. "I miss her, Uncle Rupert." He said. Rupert nodded. "So do I." Rufus smirked. "So does Vincent." They both laughed again. "Yes, Vincent misses her alright. He has always loved her since we were children. It's just a shame that she was forced to marry Augustice. But then..." Rupert smiled again. "If she hadn't, you wouldn't have been born." He scooted to the end of the bed nodding for Rufus to follow, which he did. They walked to the window and looked over at the Headquarters. "Now that you had returned, there is one other thing to do. Are you ready to take that kind of responsibility?" He asked. Rufus smiled as he looked at the Headquarters. "I have so many ideas, Uncle. So many ideas that can change the world. Make it better for everyone." He said. Rupert smiled.

"Good. You can share them with me over breakfast. We have many plans to make. There has to be a celebration for your return. You will become in charge of the company right away, you know. But I will be there right beside you to help you along the way." he said. Rufus smiled proudly. "I will make you proud, Uncle. I will make everyone proud." he said. Rupert one armed hugged his nephew. "I'm already proud of you, Red." He said. Rufus looked at him with a smile. "My name isn't Red anymore." Rupert grinned. "I know. I just like the ring of it." They looked back out the window.

The very next day, Rufus was sitting in the large room with Rupert standing next to him. There were people all looking at him with surprise. Rufus was wearing the white uniform looking proud. Vincent was standing on the other side of Rufus. The three Turks, Reno, Rude and Elena were standing on the other side of the room smiling brightly. Next to Reno stood the lovely Yuffie. She was wearing a green sun dress, looking very nice. "Rupert, are you sure this is true. This is Rufus Shinra?" A man in yellow asked. Rupert smiled proudly. "Yes. This is my nephew, who is back from the dead." he said teasingly. The woman sitting at the table was wearing red stared with awe. "This is impossible, is it not?" She asked. Rufus squinted his eyes at her. "You...your Scarlett, aren't you?" He asked. The woman smiled seductively. "Of course. I'm glad you remember me." She said. Rufus crinkled his nose. "Oh, I remember you alright. You slapped me one time because I laughed at you when your dress got caught in the door way and ripped." He said. Scarlett's face matched her name when she blushed. Rupert gave her a cool look but couldn't help but laugh. The others laughed with him.

Rupert folded his hands behind his back. "Anyway, now that Rufus has returned, he is ready to take his duty as President of Shinra Inc. The company has been saved with the return of my nephew." He smiled broadly. "Shinra Inc. will not shut down." He said. Every single person in the room smiled and applauded. "Now then, Rufus has told me many things that he has planned for the company. Things that will change the world in a positive way." He said.

Before he could continue, someone knocked on the door then opened it. It was Cid Highwind. Rufus frowned a little. He was still mad at the pilot and Tifa. Rupert smiled seeing him. "Cid, please come in." He said. Cid cleared his throat and stepped into the room. He stood tall with his hands folded behind his back. He stood like a soldier now. Rupert nodded. "I'm glad you took up our invitation, Mr. Highwind. Rufus had something he wanted to tell you." he said. Cid looked right at Rufus who folded his hands in front of his face.

A sort of pained look on the pilot's face. He was figuring Rufus was going to say some really bad things and put him in jail for being a con artist. Rufus nodded as he sat up straighter. "Mr. Highwind, I understand you wanted to open up a traveling agency for everyone's use. An agency not only for the rich folk but for the unfortunate. I have thought about it, and I fully support your ideas. Shinra Inc. will be helping you there." He said. Cid's eyes lit up and his jaw fell. "Really?" He asked excitedly. Rufus didn't smile. "Yes. Really. I think it's a good idea. Especially since the traveling agency in Nibelhiem burned down, we need a real good one for those people." He said. Cid smiled. "Thanks, Red...erm...Mr. Shinra." He said. Rufus nodded. "You may go. I will contact you when we are ready to make the arrangements for the agency." He said. Cid nodded. He turned and hurried out of the room.

Just as he left the room, a secretary stepped. "Mr. Feine, your guest has arrived. She's waiting in your office." She told him. Rupert nodded. "Thank you." He looked at Rufus. "Continue on with the meeting, Rufus. Go ahead and share your ideas. I will be right back." He said. Rufus nodded and continued.

Rupert went up to his office to find Tifa sitting in the chair looking at her hands looking nervous. "Ah, Miss Lockhart. I'm glad you came." He said walking around the large desk. Tifa looked up. "I sent for you because I owe you a debt of gratitude and my life." Rupert said. He picked up a medium sized travel bag and put it on his desk. Then he opened it to show millions of coins and bills. Tifa stared at it then frowned looking at Rupert. "No thank you, Mr. Feine." She said. Rupert gave her a surprised look. "I want you to have the reward money. You have earned it. You brought back my nephew." He said. Tifa shook her head. "I will not take that money. I've come to apologize for everything I've done." She said. Rupert shook his head. "Young lady, please……" He was saying. Tifa stood quickly placing her hands on the desk.

"Look, Mr. Feine, the thing I want is the thing I cannot have. So I'm going to keep my promise to stay out of your lives." She paused. "Forever." She turned and started to move towards the door. "Please, Tifa." Rupert said softly. Tifa stopped. "I want to know what you want. I would do anything to repay you for saving my life and my nephew's." Rupert spoke softly. Tifa just stood there firmly. "Promise me he'll have his home." She said softly. Rupert nodded. "He does." He said. Tifa nodded. "And tell me that he's happy." She spoke out. Rupert sighed. "He seems happy. But I know he's not." He said. Tifa tilted her head to look at him from over her shoulder. "Tell him to forget me." She then walked on. "Tifa." Rupert called after her. Again Tifa stopped. "What would you say if I offered you my nephew's hand in marriage?" He asked. Tifa's mouth fell and she felt her heart flutter but she sighed. "I would decline. He does not love me. How could anyone love a crook like me." She said then she left. Rupert sighed shaking his head. "You are not a crook. And he knows it."

Tifa hurried down the hall. She had to get out of there. To leave as soon as possible. She was going back to Gold Saucer to take up Reeve's offer again. She would be an actress. Someone to pretend that she was someone she wasn't. Just then as she was turning a corner, she ran right into someone almost falling back but two hands caught her by her shoulders. She looked up into those blue eyes of the one she cared about. Rufus looked surprised to see her. Tifa blushed and quickly backed away. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Shinra. I did not see you." She said lowering her head. Rufus continue to look at her but put on a look of supreme confidence and poise. "It's quite alright, Miss Lockhart.' He said. They didn't say anything for a minute before Tifa looked towards a window. "I'm glad you found what you were looking for." She said softly. Rufus continued with his emotionless expression. "So am I. I'm also glad you got what you wanted too." He said. Tifa closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath then nodded. She slowly went around him and walked down the hall. Rufus continued to watch her before he shook his head.

Tifa was back at the house packing her things. She knew she had to get out of there and fast. She was trying very hard to ignore the pleas of Cid. "But you have to go to the ball. Rupert Feine invited you, himself. It's a social event of the decade. You can't turn it down." He said. Tifa shook her head. "Watch me, Cid. I'm not staying anymore. You have a reason to stay here in the city but I don't." She said. Cid stared at her. "Come on, Tifa. Please stay." He said softly.

Tifa shook her head. "No." She simply said. Cid sighed. "Where are you going to go, Tifa? You going back to Rocket Town?" He asked. Tifa shook her head. "No. I'm going to do what Red wanted to. Go find a home." She said. Cid blinked. "But I thought you were going to live with me and Shera." He said. Tifa looked at him with sadness. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Cid. But it's time I did something for myself. I don't want to be a burden on you and Shera." She said. Cid scoffed at her words. "Burden! Your not a $$#$$#$# burden! We love you like a daughter." He said. Tifa smiled and went over to him. She placed her small cool hands on his cheeks. "And I'm grateful for your support, Cid. But it's time I grew up and did things on my own. I will never forget you." She told him. She turned away and grabbed her bags. She looked at her friend longingly then hurried out of the room.

Cid sighed shaking his head. He slowly went over to the window and looked out. He watched Tifa walk down the side walk and wave down a taxi. "Tifa……" He whispered. He shook his head. "Now it is you who is making the mistake." He whispered. He shook his head and turned away from the window.

Tifa sat in the backseat of the taxi staring down at her hands. She had tears forming in her eyes. She didn't want to leave but she knew she had nothing there in Midgar. Red was mad at her, Cid was ashamed. She knew he was. Yuffie was too into her new boyfriend, Reno. There was nothing there for her. The driver glanced over his shoulder at her. "So, ya running away from your guy?" He asked. Tifa didn't look at him or say anything. The driver looked back. "Running from home?" He asked. Again she didn't say anything. "Jeeze, lady. Just trying to have a friendly conversation." He said. Tifa again said nothing. The driver shrugged and drove on. But as he did, his eyes then glazed over as if he was in a trance.

The car pulled into a small junk yard. Tifa finally looked out and immediately became confused. "Driver? Where are we?" She asked. The driver didn't answer. She looked at him. "Driver?" She asked. Again he didn't answer. Tifa blinked looking back out the window. When the car stopped, She stared outside. "Driver……" She was saying. But suddenly smoke filled the car and Tifa gasped. She quickly threw the door open and jumped out. The smoke for some reason followed. Tifa's eyes went wide as she backed away. The smoke hovered in front of her and then began to form into a short man.

Tifa's eyes grew wider when his form was complete. "So, you don't want to go to the ball tonight? All the young beauties are going to be there. Why not you?" The evil looking man asked smirking. Tifa gasped recognizing him. "Hojo!" She gasped. She turned to run but ran right into someone very tall and built like a wall. She looked up to see the face only to see the silver haired man, Sephiroth.

She cried out with shock and tried to run but Sephiroth lashed out at her and caught her arms. He pulled her back and wrapped his arms tightly around her to keep her from moving. Tifa struggled to get away but couldn't. She felt more fear than she had ever felt. "Let go of me! Let go!" She begged but Sephiroth didn't. But he did have a pained look on his face. "I'm sorry." He whispered surprising her. Hojo sneered. "Your getting too soft, Sephiroth. Lighten up or that girl of yours will die." He said. Sephiroth said nothing. "What do you want!" Tifa cried out. Hojo grinned evilly. "The same thing I wanted 11 years ago. For all the Shinras to die. And now that I've killed the others, it's time for Rufus Shinra to die." He said. Tifa drew a sharp intake of breath. "What! You didn't kill the Shinras. The mobs did. The Shinra Family's enemies." She said. Hojo sneered. "So you and everyone else thinks. Why would those people want the famous Shinra Family dead? Only I could make them want that. Only by placing manipulation on them." He said. Tifa glared hard now. "You leave Red alone! He hasn't done anything to you!" She yelled.

Hojo grinned again. "No, but I hate the Shinra Family because of Augustice Shinra. He ordered for my death so I ordered his and his wretched family's. The curse will not be complete if Rufus does not die." He then chuckled evilly. "You know what's funny though?" He asked. Tifa didn't answer. She just glared. "What's funny is, I've tried so hard in killing that wretched boy but you were always there to save the day." Hojo said. Tifa's eyes widened. Hojo nodded.

"Yes, Tifa Lockhart. I have been the one responsible for all those little accidents happening. You stopped my mobs from killing him. You saved his life on the train. Rufus actually saved you when I had Sephiroth slice the cords of the Ropeway. You stopped him from jumping overboard when I placed him under my spell. But no more. You will not get in my way anymore." He said in a hiss. He looked straight at Tifa.

"Tonight, is that little brats' ball. I was thinking about just making you kill Rufus for me but your will is way too strong for my manipulating skills. So you will just have to stay here out of my way. Tonight, I will be killing Rufus Shinra myself." He said. Tifa looked pained. "No!" She cried.

The evil scientist grinned. "Oh don't you worry, my dear. I'll tell him how much he meant to you. How much you loved him. Before I throw him off the roof of the Shinra Headquarters." He said. He looked at Sephiroth. "Tie her up and place her in the machine." He told him. Sephiroth nodded and lift Tifa up, carrying her towards a large box looking machine. He opened a door on the side and tossed Tifa in the closed the door. Tifa stood and ran to the door. "Let me out, please! Don't kill Red! Please!" She screamed as she pounded on the door. Hojo sneered. "Your precious Red will be dead by midnight." He paused frowning wickedly. "And so will you. This machine will be automatically turned on at 11:30 tonight." He said. He turned and looked at Sephiroth. "Let's go." They both vanished into smoke.

* * *

**A/N: If your wondering what Tifa is in, she is in one of those machines that crushes the garbage to nothing but slates. So she is definitely in trouble along with Rufus. Keep your fingers crossed, readers and review.  
**


	12. Chapter 11

**This is pretty much the last chapter. In this chapter, Rufus gets to meet Hojo for the second time in his life. And Sephy gets to have a change of heart in this chapter. **

**Chapter 11.**

That night the ball was being held in the ballroom of Shinra Inc. It was highly decorated. There were lights set up. Potted bushes and trees with gold and silver lights in them. A real band. A large grand piano was set up. There were several tables around a huge dancing floor. The balcony doors were open so that the guests could wander out and get some fresh air. It was magnificent. Some of the guests were the guests at the large party 11 years ago. They wanted to see if the rumors were true. Rufus Shinra had returned.

Rufus was in the other room with Rupert getting ready to make their appearance and to greet their guests. He was fidgeting and playing with his chain around his neck. He had refused to take it off. Rupert didn't mind. Vincent was with the other Turks making rounds and making sure there was no danger for anyone. The announcer was talking to both strawberry blondes about how they were going to enter. But Rufus wasn't really listening and Rupert had noticed. He held up a hand. "You may leave. He knows what to do." He told him. The man bowed respectfully and left. Rupert turned his eyes onto his nephew who was looking out at the guests as if trying to find something. Rupert understood completely.

"Rufus, tell me the truth." He said softly. Rufus turned and looked at him. "Huh?" He asked. Rupert smiled at him. "Are you happy? I mean are you truly happy?" He asked. Rufus smiled. "Yes, uncle. I am happy. I've found where I belong. I found out who I am and who my family is." He said. Rupert smiled. "I believe you there." He frowned again.

"But I don't think you are truly happy. There is something missing." He said. Rufus tilted his head. "What would that be?" He asked. Rupert reached up and placed his hand on Rufus' shoulder. "I think what you are looking for now is someone to share your life with. Someone to love and care for. Maybe you will find her out there, somewhere." He said motioning to the guests. Rufus kept on smiling and shook his head. "Maybe." He said with actual hope.

They finally went out and began speaking to the guests. Everyone was so surprised to see Rufus but they greeted him with smiles and laughs. Rufus was always smiling but on the inside he was frowning. As he looked guest to guest, he did not see the one face he wanted to see. But he did see several faces that surprised him big time. Reeve and Aeris was there at the party. So was Barret, Marlene, Elmyra, several people he had met on the journey. They were all beaming at him, shaking his hands gratefully. Mayor Domino was there as well. He smiled brightly at Rufus and said, "I knew it was you." Rufus just smiled and shook his head. "Yes, you did, Mayor Domino." Then they both went off to talk to more people.

As the party went on, Rufus still didn't see Cid or Tifa. But he did get a real good look at an unwelcome guest. He had spotted Heidigger in the crowd staring towards Yuffie with malice. And it was clear what his plans were. Immediately, Rufus waved to Vincent. Vincent hurried over to his side. "Something wrong, Rufus?" he asked. Rufus looked towards Heidigger who was slowly making his way towards Yuffie. "That man, that's Heidigger." He told the Turk. Vincent looked over then scowled. "Don't worry, Rufus. I'll take care of him." He said and he left Rufus' side.

Heidigger was only a few feet away from grabbing Yuffie when suddenly two pairs of hands grabbed his arms making him cry out. Yuffie turned around and gasped seeing who was standing right there. Vincent and Rude pinned Heidigger's arms to his body. Reno quickly placed a protective arm around his girlfriend and glared at the fat man. Heidigger looked up at the two Turks and smiled nervously. "H-Hello." He said. Vincent smirked. "Do you have an invitation, sir?" He asked slyly. Heidigger laughed nervously. "Uh, no. But I'm an old friend of Red's. I, uh, pratically raised the boy, yes." He said. Vincent and Rude smirked even more and rose their eyebrows. They looked at Yuffie. "Princess?" They both asked. Yuffie folded her arms and glared at Heidigger. 

Just as a man stepped up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hun, who is this?" He asked. Yuffie looked up at the man who was glaring at Heidigger. "Oh, this is that jerk I told you about, Daddy." She told him. Heidigger went very pale. Godo looked at Vincent. "Vincent, would you be so kind to throw him out on his ass?" He asked. Vincent nodded. "As you and Rufus wishes." He said with Rude dragging Heidigger out.

Yuffie giggled as Rufus stepped up smiling. She jumped forward and hugged her best friend. "No more fat man!" She said happily. Rufus hugged her and looked at her father. "Ah, Godo, I'm glad you could make it." He said. Godo smiled. "Yes. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I had to be here for my daughter and her new boyfriend." He said looking at Reno who was grinning. Rufus smiled. "Yes. Well I'm glad you're here." He said. He gave them a small bow. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more guests to greet." He said. Godo bowed back.

Rufus walked right up to Rupert who smiled when he stepped up. "Rufus, your friend is here." He said nodding to the right. Rufus turned and saw Cid and a woman smiling at each other when they noticed Rufus. Rufus smiled and walked over with Rupert. "Cid, I'm glad you could make it." He said. Cid looked a little surprised. "You're not mad anymore?" He asked. Rufus shook his head. "Nah, I've thought a lot about it and I've decided that being mad at you wouldn't help. I mean, you did help me find out who I was." He said. Cid smiled before looking at the woman. "Oh! By the way, this is my wife, Shera. She $#$# surprised me this $$#$# afternoon at that stupid &$#$$# hotel room. I didn't even know that she was going to $$$ here." He said. Rufus laughed and shook his head. He turned to Shera and smiled.

"Good evening, Shera. You're lucky to have a man like Cid even though he is a little subversive." He said. Shera and Rupert both laughed while Cid looked puzzled. "What the $&$# does that mean?" He asked. They just laughed some more.

Rupert decided to change the subject by looking around. "So where's Miss Lockhart? Didn't she get my invitation?" He asked. Cid frowned now looking uneasy. "Oh, she got it alright. It's just……" He paused. "She couldn't make it." He said. Both Rufus and Rupert frowned. "Couldn't make it? Was there trouble?" Rupert asked. Cid blew out a sigh. "Oh yes there was. She left this afternoon." He told him. Rupert nodded slowly. "Oh, I see." He said. Rufus ran his hand through his hair.

"All well. As long as she's happy with her share of the money, that's all that counts." He said with a shrug. Although he was very disappointed that Tifa wasn't coming. Rupert and Cid looked at each other. "Actually, none of them took the money, Rufus." His uncle said. Rufus looked at him with surprise. "What?" He asked. Cid nodded. "We refused the reward money. Not one cent." He said. Rufus looked back at him. "Why? You needed that money, didn't you?" He asked. Cid shrugged while Shera looked at him uneasily. Then looked back at Rufus. "They wanted and needed that money before they met you, Red. But things changed during your journey here." She told them simply.

Rufus looked completely stunned. He couldn't believe that Tifa and Cid had not taken the money they had so desirably wanted in the beginning. "But it was a million gil, Cid." He said. Cid smiled softly. "Yeah, but a million gil isn't worth ruining a friendship with you, kiddo. We had decided that we didn't want it because we didn't need it. We are the richest people there is. We have you as a friend." He shook his head. "We just wanted to see you be happy and have the family you deserved." He said. Rufus felt touched. He smiled and placed a hand on Cid's shoulder. Cid tapped his shoulder then turned to Shera. "Now if you'll excuse us. We're going to &#$$# dance on that $#$# dance floor!" He said dragging Shera with him. Rufus and Rupert laughed and shook his head.

Then the young Shinra looked away frowning. Rupert saw that look and took his nephew by the arm. "Rufus, follow me. I think we need to talk." He said. Rufus followed without heisitation. They stepped out onto the balcony and over looked the city. The wind was slightly blowing.

Rupert placed his hands on the railing and breathed in the fresh air. Rufus joined him with his eyes closed enjoying the breeze. His uncle looked at him. He sighed and turned towards the young Shinra. "Rufus?" He asked. Rufus opened his eyes and looked at his uncle. "Hmm?" he asked. "Tell me, my boy. Is this what you truly want? All this?" Rupert asked gesturing to the party inside.

Rufus smiled. "Of course, uncle. Ever since a child I wanted to do these sort of things. I want to make a difference. I came here to find my home with you." He said. Rupert shook his head. "You can't find your home without your heart, Rufus. Your home is in your heart." He told him. Rufus stared at him. "This is where I belong, uncle. This is where I want to be." He said. Rupert nodded. "Yes, Rupert. This is where you belong but I don't really think it's where you want to be." He said. There was a silence between them. Rufus turned away and looked back at the city looking pained. "Then tell me, uncle? Where do I want to be because I don't know." He said. Rupert studied his nephew. "You want to be out there, Rufus. Looking for her." He turned and walked towards the party again. Rufus just stood there staring with surprise.

"In your heart, you know what's best for you. You must follow your heart, Rufus. Don't block it out. Go find Tifa." He heard his uncle say. Then he was alone. Rufus continued to stare at the city. He didn't know what to do. He was so confused. Even more than he was before. His eyes slowly lifted and he looked at the moon. "Tifa." He whispered.

In the junkyard, Tifa was sitting curled in a corner. Tear streaks running down her face. She had tried her hardest to get out, to go back to Rufus and warn him. But she couldn't get out. Not without help. She sighed and looked up through a crack. Right at the silver orb in the sky. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. "Red." Just then there was a noise. The machine began to move. Tifa gasped standing up and moving to the middle. The walls were now closing in on her. Ready to crush her. "Oh no." She whispered weakly.

Rufus was still standing there when he heard something strange. He heard a whisper in the air. Turning around he tried to find out who was whispering his name. But there was no one out on the balcony with him. There was that whisper again. Rufus turned and listened hard. He began to follow the voice to find out who it belonged to. It lead to the stair way so he went up looking upward to find the person calling him. He was approaching the roof. "Hello? Who's up here?" he called almost at the top.

At the top, Hojo was grinning. Rufus was coming closer to his death. He was stepping right into his trap. Hojo looked over at Sephiroth. "Sephiroth, when he comes up kill him." He said. Sephiroth looked at him then towards the stairs. So many thoughts were going through his mind at the moment. He was trying to decide what to do. Do what his father says or warn Rufus? He looked at the ground trying to think very quickly. He then glanced at his watch seeing that it was almost 11: 30. That was then it hit him. Tifa Lockhart. Sephiroth scoffed and looked at Hojo.

"No." He said. Hojo shot him a look. "What?" He asked. Sephiroth backed away. "I said no. I will not take part in this any longer. You want him dead, you kill him yourself. I've failed before and I will not do it again." He said. He turned away and vanished in smoke. Hojo growled. "Stupid experiment. I should have never made that mistake." He growled and got ready to kill Rufus.

The walls were inching closer to Tifa. She was standing against the wall starting to panic on how close the walls were now. She hugged herself closing her eyes. "Rufus……" She whispered tearfully. She turned a little so that the walls wouldn't touch her. She was going to die, she knew it.

Suddenly there was a crunch and the sound of metal being crushed. Tifa's eyes shot open. Sparks were flying now. She cried out when sparks flew at her. She covered her head as the wall was ripped away from her. She lowered her arms and looked forward, listening to the machine shutting down. Smoke all around her, blinding her vision. She waved her hand to get it away from her face. There was a loud crash close by making Tifa jump.

Then a tall figure stepped closer waving a hand. Just like that, the smoke was swept aside. Tifa's eyes grew wide seeing Him. Him and his eerie green eyes staring back at her. Sephiroth smirked as he could sense her fear. He held out his hand. Tifa looked at it then back at him.

Rufus stepped onto the roof looking around. There was nothing but a few gargoyles, the small smoke and steam stacks, a large generator. But there was no one around. Rufus squinted his eyes as he began to wander on the roof. He felt an eerie feeling. He had a feeling that he shouldn't have been up there. He turned to go back down when suddenly the stairs vanished. Rufus gasped stepping back. "What the!" He exclaimed. There was a soft evil laugh in the air. Dark clouds began to form. Rufus spun around his eyes wide. He knew he was not alone. He swallowed hard and looked around. Mist began to form all over the roof top. Then a shadow appeared from behind a generator.

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Rufus Shinra at last. It has been quite a while." A wicked voice drifted towards him. Rufus spun around and looked at the man coming towards him. He knew that voice. But he couldn't place it. Then the mist around the man fell and Rufus got to see him.

Flashes of memories danced all around his mind. He remembered this man. Rufus' eyes widen. "You! Hojo!" He exclaimed. Hojo sneered stopped several feet away from Rufus. "I see you remember me." He said. Rufus narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "You……you killed my family. You tried to kill me." He hissed between his teeth. Hojo continued to sneer. "Yes. And tonight I will kill you. I will finish the curse that I placed upon your wretched family." He grinned. "With this." He held up the black orb. It was glowing reddish-black.

Smoke burst out and minions formed all around them both. A few of them attacked Rufus already. He rose his arms to protect himself and then swung to knock some back. Hojo just laughed evilly. There was a crack of lightning and thunder. Rufus grabbed a minion and threw it away from him. He had a cut on his cheek already from being scratched by one of their little claws. "I am not afraid of you, Hojo! I was as a child but I'm not now!" He snapped. Hojo sneered. "You are foolish then, boy. I am your worst nightmare."

Rufus smirked back at him. "Actually my worst nightmare has to deal with me being out in public with nothing but my boxers. But for you I'll make an exception." He frowned angrily. "I'm not afraid you anymore, Hojo. I will never be afraid of you." He said. Hojo glared. "Then I shall make you afraid!" He waved the orb and the smoke formed into giant hands. They struck out and wrapped around Rufus making him gasp. They lifted him up off the ground, higher and higher. Hojo stepped forward with his own hands out stretched. Rufus was hovering over nothing now. He looked down only to see thousands of feet between him and the ground.

"Are you afraid now, Boy?" Hojo laughed. Rufus wouldn't admit it but he was terrified. The only thing that was holding him up from falling to his death was smoke. "Okay, I'm dead." He whispered. Hojo laughed. "Yes you are, Rufus Shinra. Finally all Shinras will die." He said. He opened his empty hand and so did the smoky hand. Rufus began to fall. He waved his arms as he fell. "Oh shit!" He yelled.

Suddenly there was a flash of silver and something grabbed him on the back of his jacket stopping him from falling. "Red!" He heard that voice. Rufus' eyes shot towards the building and he saw Tifa standing behind Hojo looking scared. Hojo spun around and gasped seeing her. "You! How did you escape!" He exclaimed. There was an evil laugh. "I freed her, you moron." A voice above Rufus rang out. Rufus looked up and saw Sephiroth holding him by the back of the jacket. Again Hojo spun around and his eyes grew wider. "Sephiroth! You dare to betray me!" He roared. Sephiroth flew over the building and landed letting Rufus go. "Let's just say I had a change of heart." He growled. Hojo snarled. "You will all die!" He yelled. The sky was filled with lightning and thunder.

Tifa hurried forward and threw her arms around Rufus startling him but he wrapped an arm around her hugging her close. "What are you doing here?" He asked looking at her. Tifa looked up at him. She smiled. "I've come to save you again." She said. Rufus smiled back and they both turned their determined eyes onto Hojo who pointed at the gargoyles and they came to life. "Kill them all!" He yelled. The gargoyles charged towards them. Rufus pushed Tifa behind him. "It's my turn to protect you, Tifa!" he said.

He charged toward Hojo only to be hit aside by a gargoyle. Rufus quickly got to his feet. Sephiroth took off into the air being followed by a large winged pig. Tifa faced another gargoyle that charged. She quickly rolled to the side dodging it's heavy fist.

Rufus found Hojo standing in front of him, smirking. The evil man waved his hand at him then pointed to behind him. Rufus spun around only to get hit by a stone fist. He went flying to the ground clutching his chest. "Okay, that one actually hurt." He growled getting back to his feet. "Shinra!" Sephiroth yelled. Rufus dodged another attack and looked up at the silver haired man slashing a gargoyle to pieces. "That black orb! Destroy that black orb!" Sephiroth yelled. Rufus turned towards Hojo seeing the black orb hanging on a cord in his hand.

Gritting his teeth the young president charged at Hojo, only to jump aside to avoid getting hit again. He continued to run towards Hojo who snarled at him. He quickly tucked the orb into his pocket. "You are messing with the wrong person, Rufus Shinra!" He snarled. Rufus skidded to a stop and smirked at him. "So are you, Hojo."

Hojo snarled again and threw a destructive spell towards Rufus, which he ducked and it hit the gargoyle behind him blowing it up. Rufus flinched but looked wide eyed at the destroyed rubble of the gargoyle. "Well I guess I better avoid that." He turned towards Hojo only to get hit by his fist. Rufus went flying across the ground. That had been one powerful punch. "Red!" Tifa cried out. She charged towards Hojo. Hojo spun around and caught her by the neck. She gasped as he tightened his grip. Rufus quickly stood and his eyes widen. "Tifa!" He cried out. He ran forward to rescue her but Hojo flung her towards him. They both went crashing towards the ground. Rufus and Tifa quickly sat up making a quick look at each other then at Hojo as he advanced on them. He was laughing evilly. As soon as he was close enough, Tifa's hand lashed out and grabbed his lab coat yanking him down. Rufus sent his fist sailing right into Hojo's face. Hojo let out an outraged yell but couldn't do anything at the moment since both Rufus and Tifa rose their foot and kicked him hard in the stomache.

Hojo went flying back but managed to catch footing. He growled angrily waved his hand. A huge wind spell hit them both. It sent Tifa flying across the roof towards the other edge. Rufus spun around to see if she fell. She had managed to catch one of the smoke stacks to stop herself. Hojo kicked Rufus hard in the stomach making grunt and wrap his arms around his middle. "I'll finish with you in a moment!" The scientist snapped. He started to advance on Tifa, who sat up. "You have been a thorn in my side for a long time, girl!" He growled.

Just then Sephiroth slammed onto the ground raising his sword to slash Hojo but the scientist easily back handed him, sending him flying into the generator and slump to the ground. Hojo continued to stalk towards Tifa who cowered in fear. "You will not stop me from destroying the rest of the Shinras and their wretched company, no longer! My curse is complete!" He roared raising a hand above his head, which transformed into a blade. Tifa jerked her head and tightly closed her eyes waiting for the blade to drop.

"Hey, Hojo!" Rufus yelled. Hojo slowly looked over his shoulder. Rufus was standing up holding his side. His eyes dark and murderous looking. He had something clenched in his other hand but Hojo nor Tifa could see what it was. "Aren't you forgetting something!" Rufus called. Hojo turned a little to see better. Rufus held up whatever it was he was holding. "There's something about living on the streets for 11 years and that's learning how to be a pick pocketer." He said. Hojo's eyes went wide.

In Rufus' hand was his precious black orb. It was glowing red hot and smoking. But Rufus had so much adreniline running through him that he didn't feel the burning. "Say goodbye to your precious rock!" He yelled. He turned around and threw it as hard as he could off the building. "NOOOOOOO!" Hojo yelled running after it. The orb fell faster towards the ground far below. Hojo stood on the edge, his eyes wide as golf balls.

The orb fell faster and faster. There was a scream in the air, Hojo's outraged and terrified scream. It grew louder as the orb approached the roads below. It finally stopped falling and smashed against the ground into thousands of pieces. There was a loud screech in the air. Echoing every where. People in their homes, at work, at the party let out terrified yells and covered their ears. Glass all over shattered at the high pitched scream. Rufus stood glaring at Hojo's back.

From where the orb shattered a brilliant green tornado shot upward spinning faster. Spirits were taking forms. The minions screaming as the spun in the tornado. Hideous moaning noises filled the air. Hojo looked terrified. The spiritual tornado began to suck up things. Hojo went flying right into it. Tifa gasped as she was caught in the wind and started sliding towards the tornado. "Red!" She screamed. Rufus spun around and gasped. He ran forward and slammed to ground grabbing Tifa's hands and holding her tightly. They both began to slide towards the edge. Tifa screamed closing her eyes tightly. Rufus kicked trying to catch anything.

Suddenly he felt a strong hand snatch his ankle and hold tight. Rufus and Tifa looked to see Sephiroth slam his sword into the roof to hold him down. They held each other tighter. Then the tornado exploded and shot towards the ground. They all just sat there shaking a little from the aftermath. After a minute the three of them stood, Rufus helping Tifa stand and they looked off to where the tornado used to be. The black storms dissipated like they were nothing and the stars once again shone with the moon. Rufus kept his arm around Tifa tightly and she held to him the same. Sephiroth pulled out his sword and slid it into it's place at his waist. The three stood there looking towards the clear sky. The silver haired demon smiled dryly. "He's gone." He whispered.

Rufus and Tifa looked at him with surprise. They couldn't help but stare at him and wonder why he saved them. "Why did you help us? He was your father." Rufus asked. Sephiroth turned his eyes onto them and smiled. "Like I've said I've had a change of heart. Besides, Aeris would kill me if I let anything happen to Tifa." He said. Tifa and Rufus' jaws fell with shock. Sephiroth smirked and nodded.

"Rufus!" They heard someone yell. The three spun around looking towards the stairs only to see Rupert, Vincent, Cid, Yuffie and the Turks run up, which all of them halted seeing Sephiroth standing there. Sephiroth smirked again and gave a small wave then vanished into smoke.

Rupert and the others looked Rufus and Tifa over with shock. "What happened! Are you alright?" He asked. Rufus and Tifa looked at each other then smiled. They looked back at the worried people. "We're fine. Don't worry. Just taking care of a small pest problem." Rufus said simply. Cid looked at Tifa. "Teef? I thought you $$#$ leaving." He said. Tifa smiled sweetly. "I couldn't. My heart was still here in the city. I couldn't leave without it." She said. Rufus nodded. "And my heart was about to leave me but she came back." He said looking at Tifa who looked up at him. Rufus smiled down at her then cupped her face bringing his down and placing his lips onto hers.

For a minute Tifa looked surprised but she smiled between their kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his around her waist and pulled her closer. The others smiled seeing them.

Vincent turned around and looked towards the moon only to see a beautiful face smiling down at him. Danielle Feine Shinra. The Turk smiled and waved. "Don't worry, Dani. I'll take care of him." He whispered. Reno and Yuffie looked at each other and smiled. They wrapped their arms around each other shared their own kiss. Shera walked up behind Cid and wrapped her arms around his waist making him look at her. They smiled at each other. Rupert smiled proudly at his nephew.


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Seven years later **

Rufus was sitting at his desk signing papers. He was smiling as he did so. On his left hand, the ring finger was a gold band. Around his neck was the key. At the corner was the music box. Dark Nation was sprawled out on the couch purring like crazy.

Just then the door burst open and a small 6 year old boy ran in. "Daddy! Daddy!" He cried out cheerfully. Rufus looked up and smiled. He pushed away from the desk and caught the boy in his arms. The little boy had strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a small white outfit. "Hey, sport. What'cu doing?" Rufus asked hugging his son. He looked towards the door to see Tifa walk in with a one year old girl with dark hair and red brown eyes. Behind her was Rupert, Vincent, Reno and Yuffie. Her stomach was a little big showing signs of pregnancy. Reno had his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, Rufus." She said happily. Rufus smiled brightly. "Hey, Kid." He said. Tifa went around the desk and gave him a long passionate kiss. Rufus then looked at his son. "So how are you, Red? Ready to help daddy at work?" he asked. Red nodded brightly. "Yep!" He said cheerfully. Rufus looked up at his daughter. "How about you, Dani?" He asked touching her chin. The baby gurgled happily and shook her head shyly. Everyone laughed. "I am the luckiest guy in the world." Rufus said standing, holding his son close. He hugged Tifa close. Rupert smiled. "Your right where you belong, Rufus. Right where your heart brought you." He said. Rufus smiled at him.

* * *

Far across the way, a tall man stood on the roof of his home smiling towards Shinra Inc. His silver hair fell down his back. He wore a black tank top and pants. His hands stuffed in his pockets. "Honey, what are you doing?" A sweet voice asked. Sephiroth turned around to see his beautiful wife, Aeris, holding a pair of twins. One with silver hair and one with brown. He smiled and took one the silver haired daughter close. "Just getting fresh air, sweetheart." He said taking Aeris into his free arm and hugged her. They both looked towards the city. It was a great life. The city was clean and perfect. Nothing could go wrong. Not anymore.THE END 

_At the Beginning  
Donna Lewis and Richard Morris_

_We were strangers starting out on our journey_

_Never dreaming what we'd have to go through_

_Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing_

_At the beginning with you_

_No one told me I was going to find you_

_Unexpected what you did to my heart_

_When I lost hope you were there to remind me_

_This is the start_

_(chorus)_

_And Life is a road and I want to keep going_

_Love is a river I want to keep flowing_

_Life is a road now and forever_

_A Wonderful journey_

_I'll be there when the world stops turning_

_I'll be there when the storm is through_

_In the end I wanna be standing_

_At the beginning with you_

_We were strangers on a crazy adventure_

_Never dreaming how our dreams would come true_

_Now here we stand unafraid of the future_

_At the beginning with you_

_(chorus)_

_I knew there was somebody somewhere_

_Like me alone in the dark_

_I know that my dream will live on_

_I've been waiting so long_

_Nothing's gonna tear us apart_

_(chorus)_

_In the end I wanna be standing at the beginning with you_


End file.
